Usher came close to beating the UDP incumbent in the 2015 general election - and it is widely believed that after years of chipping away - he could finally tip the scales in the next general election and win the division that the UDP has held since 2003.

Usher felt those years of work in the political wilderness should have protected him from a costly convention challenge - but Dr. Pitts who is from Port Loyola - felt there are no sacred cows - and was hoping to parlay her popularity from the city council elections, where she topped the polls to launch her candidacy.

Well, at least that was her plan, but no more - because the PUP's vetting committee has stepped in and told her to stand down. That meeting was held last night where party chairman Henry Usher broke the bad news to Dr. Pitts - who - we are told - did not take it well.

More on that later, but in a letter to Usher dated yesterday the PUP Secretary General Linsford Castillo told Usher to go ahead and set up an endorsement convention.

The letter says, quote, "The vetting committee met to review applicants and to decide who they believe is the best candidate to represent the Port Loyola Constituency…after deliberation the committee agreed that you should be endorsed as the Standard Bearer," end quote.

With that, no doubt the Usher camp is overjoyed - saving many thousands of dollars in not having to contest a convention and risk losing.

But, Dr. Candice Pitts is not a happy camper. This evening in an open letter to the voters of Port Loyola she throws some serious blows at her party's leadership. She sent the message to us via Whatsapp, saying, quote, "I owe an explanation to the many residents of Port Loyola…Once again, instead of listening to the residents of Port, certain members of the PUP have dictated a decision for them. They endorsed the infantile behavior of what we can only define as a political coward, rejected a convention, and imposed a "leader" on the residents of Port."

She then adds that Port Loyola voters will have to settle for, quote, "mediocre leadership and representation," in Gilroy Usher.

She says, quote, "While the male-dominance, elitism, and disinterest in the South side of Belize are perhaps expected from these members of the PUP, I am most disappointed in the United Women's Group....certain members of the UWG pretended to care about the well-being of women in the socio-cultural and political sectors of our society. They fervently pressed for better representation of women in the political arena and adamantly demanded the 30% representation of women in political leadership. Yet, though I am one of the only two women who have been making preparations to contest the general elections, no member of the UWG has publicly supported my candidacy.

And after that Pitts takes a swipe at her party's male dominated leadership, referring to, quote, an "old-man-self entitlement politics" (which has) prevailed and continues to prevail in our society. She then concludes, "what those members of the PUP have made vividly clear to me on May 2nd, 2018, is that: I am young; a woman from Port; of a particular race and therefore good enough to be in local government, but not Good enough to be in the National Assembly."