LOST COURSE: Farmaajo’s quest for 16 Gedo seats crumbles after two-year battle with Madobe

By T. Roble

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The announcement by Lower House Speaker Adan Madobe validating the El-Wak-elected MPs for Gedo region hit hard Mohamed Farmaajo’s prospects of getting a vote from his backyard in yet another win by Prime Minister Mohamed Roble and opposition candidates.

In endorsing the El-Wak MPs, Madobe officially locked out the 16 ‘MPs’ who were elected in a parallel process in Gerbaharey with the endorsement of Villa Somalia. Madobe effectively ended a new two year political battle between Farmaajo and his erstwhile political nemesis Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland.

MADOBE-FARMAAJO BATTLE

The Jubaland leader had insisted elections will not take place in Gerbaharey citing heavy influence from Villa Somalia which had deployed the Dufaan unit of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) at the local airport.

Farmaajo’s defeat in the Gedo region over the 16 seats was largely of his own making. A task force formed by PM Roble in February to resolve the Gerbaharey stand-off failed to travel to Gedo region after the regional administration became defiant.

Acting Gedo governor and Farmaajo’s henchman in the region Ibrahim Mohamed warned against any flights from Kismayo carrying the taskforce team. In fact, Mohamed, went ahead to fix himself as an elected MP during a parallel process in Gerbaharey.  Had Farmaajo acceded to the PM’s intervention, perhaps he would have bagged a few seats if a deal was reached to continue the elections in Gerbaharey.

VILLA SOMALIA BRIGADE

Villa Somalia also deployed top NISA officials led by de facto number Abdullahi Kulane ‘Jiis’ to Gedo region following his election as MP in Galmudug but that too failed to yield any positive outcome as Jiis returned to Mogadishu a few days later to pick his certificate as elected MP.

With his foremost ally and security advisor Fahad Yasin struck out of the roll of elected MPs from HirShabelle and subsequently humiliated by the Supreme Court when it failed to entertain his petition on the jurisdictional ground, Farmaajo’s course in Gedo region was a lost one.

Way before the elections, Farmaajo and his then Prime Minister Hassan Khaire (who has since made public his affiliation to his boss despite a humiliating sacking in July 2020) hatched a grand re-election scheme which involved the installation of allies as Federal Member State presidents. That plan succeeded in South West, HirShabelle and Galmudug but hit the brick wall in the most priced target-Jubaland and later Puntland.

Villa Somalia mandarins knew too well that wrestling control of Jubaland was crucial for Farmaajo’s political stability given Kenya’s influence in the southern belt which Farmaajo had so detested. Madobe was re-elected President in August 2019. Farmaajo and Khaire announced they would not recognise his election but that protest fizzled out and the two were forced to eat the humble pie.

The two sides would later go on the warpath following the designation of Gerbaharey as the second polling center for Jubaland during the September 17, 2020 talks which produced the electoral blueprint. Madobe’s then the argument was the presence of the federal troops which has been deployed earlier in the year following a deadly conflict between Jubaland forces and federal forces in the region. Those forces were not withdrawn despite international pressure.

The battle for the 16 seats would now kick off in earnest culminating in a parallel election in El-Wak and Gerbaharey on April 22.