The Tribune

Officials from the original group led by chairman Brian Adderley could either not be reached or did not respond to questions up to press time yesterday.

Mr Davis, a Valley Boys member since 1980, said the separation did not happen overnight.

He said some members sought Mr Adderley’s support for a constitution that mandates regular meetings, establishes financial accountability, and facilitates member feedback and votes.

“Needless to say,” he said, “this would have fell on deaf ears from then to now, which led us to seek legal counsel to find out why as an oragnisation, they choose not to want to sit down and listen to the members.”

Mr Davis said his group eventually learned that the Valley Boys was not registered as a non-profit organisation and did not copyright its symbols. Junkanoo Corporation of the New Providence (JCNP) chairman Dion Miller has said NPO registration is unnecessary for the JCNP to recognise a junkanoo group.

Mr Davis said his group registered as an NPO under the Valley Boys name. He said the original group later registered as an NPO named “World Famous Valley Boys”.

Mr Davis believes the JCNP has shown bias toward the original group rather than waiting to see how the conflict plays out.

Mr Miller countered yesterday: “The JNCP is not involved in their internal matter, so I will direct you to Trevor Davis and Brian Adderley. We recognise the Valley Boys. In the leadership struggle for the Valley Boys, no one can solve that but themselves.”

Mr Davis claimed that the group Mr Adderley leads did not have a “registration drive” in over 15 years. He said his group has had one, registered over 500 people and has attracted people who left the other group over the years out of frustration.

He said efforts to “come to the table” with Mr Adderley’s team have failed.

“We even reached out to the former prime minister who we all know is a great valley boy, Perry Gladstone Christie,” he said. “At one point we used him to be the mediator. He was able to secure one meeting for us and after that they promised us a follow-up meeting, which never happened, so I don’t see them sitting down anytime soon and wanting to be part of a structure with accountability and transparency.”

Mr Davis admitted that if the conflict is not resolved and neither side gains more supporters, Bahamians would see a splintered version of the Valley Boys during the Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades, two groups that would struggle to compete against other category A groups.