Abdullahi Mohamed elected MP in controversial Baidoa poll

Abdullahi Sheikh Mohamed has been elected MP in a by-election in Baidoa in a controversial vote that saw his opponents boycott the poll even as delegates cast their votes for the other two candidates in absentia.

Only Mohamed was present during the exercise as the three other candidates kept off.

Mohamed, a relative of the former area MP Khalif Sheikh Abdullahi who died in April 2018 garnered 35 votes out of the possible 42 as two other contestants, Abdukadir Sheikh Nur and Isaq Khaliif Duurey each got two and four votes respectively.

The fate of the fourth candidate Hassan Maalim Ibrahim remained unestablished as the polls body did not release any information regarding his participation.

Speaking in a joint press conference after the vote, the candidates who lost to Mohamed accused the electoral team of malpractices and bias in favour of Mohamed. Only 42 candidates out of the mandated 51 delegates took part in the exercise which came about 9 months since the seat fell vacant.