‘No love’ for Mogadishu mayor over Brexit remark

Mogadishu mayor Abdirahman Osman’s tweet urging support for embattled UK Prime Minister Theresa May and a call to ‘move on’ after the Brexit vote received no less a mean response from Somalis on Twitter (SOT) as many questioned what the city boss sought to drive home.

In a tweet Friday, Osman, popular known as Engineer Yarisow made known his decision on the Brexit plebiscite noting he was a ‘remainer’ calling for support of May who was by close of week salvaging a cabinet fall-out following an exit plan endorsed by cabinet mid-week.

“I was one of the 48% that voted remain, however, we must support @theresa_may Brexit plan as she honored her promise to the people and her vision for the national interest of UK. Let us move on and not to go back to square one,” tweeted Yarisow.

But his ‘let us move on’ line seems to have cast doubt among SOT as to who the mayor was addressing. One Hiba Shokaari shot back immediately, “Let us move on..?! Who is us, last time I checked you were Mogadishu’s mayor.”

Mo Ali was even more specific telling the mayor who also doubles as Banaadir region governor that no love was forthcoming on this, “Mayor, you are not going to get love from Somali Twitter for this message. Your 100% focus should be Mogadishu not UK politics.”

The city mayor known for his public interactions and an avid Twitter user seems to have found himself in uncharted territories.

 

While others accused the mayor of ‘riding two horses at once’ some seem to have a soft spot for the mayor noting the statement was personal since it was from the mayor’s own account and not the institutional twitter handle.

According to his profile, Osman has previously worked at the local government in the UK for 14 years.

Sample some of the reactions: