Newly selected United Progressive Party (UPP) candidate for St. John's City South, Adrian Williams, has described his nomination as the fulfillment of a lifelong desire to serve his country, framing his entry into frontline politics as both a personal calling and a national responsibility.
According to Antigua News Room, Williams made his first public remarks following the announcement on Observer Radio's Voice of the People programme, where he spoke candidly about the path that led him to seek elected office.
"It has always been on my heart to serve," Williams said, noting that his sense of purpose was not born overnight. He recalled that even during his career in aviation, those around him sensed a different calling. Former LIAT pilots and senior captains, he said, encouraged him early on, with training captain Mikey Byron telling him: "Adrian, what are you doing here? You're not a pilot. You're a politician or a preacher."
Williams said that encounter stayed with him over the years and helped shape his eventual decision to enter public life — a moment he described as answering "duty's call."
"I am very proud… I'm honoured. I'm truly thankful," he said, reflecting on his selection as the party's standard bearer.
In his remarks, Williams struck a deliberately unifying tone, pushing back against the political divisions that often characterise election seasons. "Antigua and Barbuda… we are one people. We are one nation. And we have one future with one responsibility," he said.
He argued that regardless of party affiliation, citizens share the same fundamental aspirations — a safe country, a fair society, and greater opportunity for the next generation. "We all want the same thing… a country that gives our children a better chance than we had," Williams said.
Williams also characterised the current political climate as a moment of meaningful change, describing what he called a "shift in the atmosphere." He framed the broader movement as a collective reclaiming of national direction. "This is us taking back our country… a country that is not built on division, but it's built on unity," he said, adding that "unity that stays together can never be broken."
His opening message as candidate centred on four guiding themes: unity, development, progress, and the future. "We want to emphasize unity all the way, development all the way, progress all the way, future all the way," Williams said.
The appearance marks Williams' first direct public response since being announced as the UPP's candidate for St. John's City South, setting the early tone for a campaign expected to focus on national cohesion and forward-looking development.
