Defeated Tobago MPs Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis and Ayanna Webster-Roy have thanked Tobago following the Tobago People’s Party’s historic sweep in Monday’s General Election, offering emotional messages of gratitude and reflection.
“While we did not achieve the victory we had hoped for, my heart is full of gratitude for your support,” Cudjoe-Lewis said in a written message to Tobago West voters. “Full of commitment to our country, full of hope for a brighter future, and full of love for every single constituent.”
Cudjoe-Lewis, who served as Tobago West’s MP since 2015, was unseated by TPP newcomer Joel Sampson. Sampson won 4,951 votes to her 4,935 — a narrow margin of just 16 votes.
Cudjoe-Lewis thanked constituents for welcoming her into their homes and lives during her tenure.
“Your encouragement, support, and prayers have kept me through the years, and today we are all the better for the goodness we have poured into each other,” she wrote. “It is indeed a privilege to have served and represented you. I remain committed to our holistic development, and I vow to always be ‘Right There With You."
Over in Tobago East, long-time MP Ayanna Webster-Roy also lost her seat to another TPP newcomer, David Thomas. He won with 4,473 votes, while Webster-Roy secured 2,858.
But like Cudjoe-Lewis, Webster-Roy remained gracious in defeat.
“Unchanged by victory, unshaken by defeat,” she wrote in her statement. “I’ve always been someone who sees the big picture — grounded in my faith and guided by hope. Victory has never changed me, and neither has defeat.”
Webster-Roy served as the MP for Tobago East since 2015 and held several ministerial portfolios in the PNM administration. In her statement, she described public service as one of the most difficult paths a person can choose.
“It takes a brave heart to serve a people who may never understand the weight of your sacrifice — who may disrespect, ridicule, and overlook you, even as you give your all for them,” she said. “I chose to carry that burden. And I did so with humility, dignity, and unwavering commitment to country.”
She added that despite losing her seat, she remains proud of how she served.
“I have never worn adversity on my face. I face every challenge with grace, holding firm to my principles and my God. I choose joy. I choose peace. I choose to walk away the same way I walked in — true to myself, my values, and my faith.”
The TPP, led by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, now holds both Tobago seats in Parliament for the first time. The results are seen as a major blow to the PNM, which had held both seats for over a decade.
Nationally, the UNC won 26 seats, forming the new government. The PNM won 13, and the TPP secured two.