As the United National Congress (UNC) moved its headquarters out of Rienzi Complex on Wednesday, party founder Basdeo Panday says the current leadership must be booted out or else the People's National Movement (PNM) will remain in power for the next 15 to 20 years.
In an interview, Panday said there must be a reinvention of the party as the current leadership had lost its way and no longer commanded respect from supporters.
Saying party loyalists must band together to make this a reality, Panday said it was important to have free and fair internal elections.
"The supporters of the UNC can only succeed in restoring the party to its pristine glory if they have the confidence, belief and trust in the leadership. That kind of leadership can only be found in free and fair elections and that is not what they have there," he added.
Saying supporters must demand free and fair elections, Panday added: "if we don't change the leadership, the PNM will retain power for 15 to 20 years."
He also condemned Kamla Persad-Bissessar "for squandering $400 billion over five years" during the People's Partnership's term in office between 2010-1015.
"People are still living in mud traces. Many remain without houses, water, electricity," he added.
He also said Persad-Bissessar had lost several elections, adding: "A party usually changes its leadership under those circumstances."
Meanwhile, businessman Bindra Maharaj, who replied to Panday's comments on Facebook, questioned who would form part of the new UNC leadership.
Maharaj, who was the former deputy political leader of the Citizens Alliance, which was headed by former finance minister Wendell Mottley, said: "Who is going to take the bull by the horns and go up for leadership?"
He added: "Mr Panday said yesterday that everybody is afraid of victimisation. Why do people like Panday and Ramesh (Lawrence Maharaj) who are the fathers of the party not come out if there is a problem of leadership.
"Why don't they start to train people in politics to take leadership so that the rank-and-file of the party can have direction?" Maharaj asked.
Maharaj, who said he was not aligned to any political party and described himself as a student of politics, said new think tanks should be involved so as to get innovative ideas on the party's direction.
Former agriculture minister Vasant Bharath, who launched a social media campaign to get back into the executive of the party, has also called for new leadership.
Bharath, who challenged Kamla Persad-Bissessar's for leadership of the party last year and lost, said the party was now dysfunctional because there was no attempt to build any organisational structure or proper party institutions.
He also said the UNC was weak and ineffective due to dysfunction in the party's leadership structure.