Blow to MP Omar as clan endorses different candidate

Wajir South MP Mohamud Omar has suffered a major setback in his effort to retain his seat, after his subclan endorsed a different candidate.

On Sunday it was the turn of the Mohamed Zubeir subclan to pick a candidate who will fly the community’s flag in the August polls.

Announcing the results in Wajir Town, the Mohamed Zubeir National Council chairman Mohamed Bashir said they settled on United States based software engineer Abdullahi Yussuf as the nominee for Wajir South MP.

Bashir said they looked at several factors before arriving on the final verdict. The factors included community service, experience, educational background as well sub clan dynamics.

Six candidates applied for the MP position. They were Yussuf alias Mathar who got 14 votes beating the incumbent Mohamud Oomar who got 10 votes.

Abdirahman Aden who contested for the 2017 senate seat on an ODM ticket got five votes. Abdinasir Ogle, Abubakar Ogle and Gort Nur Ogle did not get any votes.

“The process was transparent, free and fair. We aimed to pick the best candidate who will face others and at the end of the day we picked Yussuf,” Bashir said.

However Nur Abdi, son of late Wajir South MP Noor Ogle said the endorsement process was a fraudulent process premised on hate and prejudice.

He said he will go all the way to the ballot.

MP Oomar is yet to comment on the results and declare his next course of action.

Bashir said the community will now rally behind Yussuf to ensure that he clinches the seat.

"He will unite and develop this constituency which is still faced with numerous challenges,"  he said.

Yussuf thanked the elders for their trust in him. He said he will do his best to clinch the seat and subsequently take development to new levels.

He will now face Aljazeera journalist Mohamed Adow who was endorsed in January by his Makhabul sub clan.

Others eyeing the seat are former MP and senator Abdirahman Olow as well as former MP Mohamud Sirat and Abdirashid Yussuf.

No MP has broken the one term jinx in Wajir South.

Wajir South is inhabited by the Ogaden that is made up of four sub clans namely  Mohamed Zubeir, Makhabul,  Bah Geri and Geri.

Clans and communities in the pastoral counties have been holding meetings and making endorsements for aspirants.

The clan backing system decides on who is best suited to carry the community’s flag in the general election.

Supporters of system say the process unites communities and strengthens cohesion.

However, critics say negotiated democracy is a sanitised system of impunity with no foundational democratic ethos or ideological framework.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)