Three top officials of the Somaliland opposition political party, Waddani, today, Wednesday, formally resigned from the party itself and the key responsibilities they held for it at a press conference they jointly held at the Imperial Hotel, Hargeisa.
Mustafa Qodah, Party Secretary for Interior, Abdirashid Riyo-Raa’, Party Secretary for Planning and Mohamoud Abdullahi Abdi, Party Secretary for Youth Affairs, together, in different tones and phrases, all made clear that they found the party not adhering to the principles and vision that previously united them.
“Members of a party are united by political vision, beliefs, norms, values and principles. An opposition party – the more so. We found the top leadership of the party lacking in direction and devotion to elements that cemented the opposition nature of the party,” Abdirashid said.
Mustafa Qodah, on his part, said he found out that the party Chair itself was not sincere on its professed opposition platform.
“I found out that the party (Chairman) was part of the delays to the presidential and parliamentary elections,” he said.
Mohamoud Abdillahi “Gaagaab” also voiced his dissatisfaction with the attitude Waddani handled its opposition nature and the role it was to play on correcting errors as a national party. He said he was not going to waste any more time of his on a futile exercise.
Other sources close to the three officials reveal that the bottom line for all three announcements was that the officers found the party not run as a national political party but as a front camouflaging a strong, tribal steering hand presently running ‘party affairs’ from behind a flimsy, translucent curtain.
An example of this assertion, sources say, is the current move on the part of traditional leaders belonging to theChairman’s clan to convince him – the Chairman – not to run for the presidency. The clan elders, it is said, propose that the Chairman Irro hold on to his present position as the Somaliland House of Representatives Speaker. In his place the traditional leaders of Irro’s clan forward Dr. Mohamed Gabboose – in order to keep on reaping whatever benefits there were from both top, national positions.
In the case of the resigning Party Secretary for Youth, a close friend disclosed on Facebook, that his responsibilities were curtailed and proven cosmetic as they were being openly run with or without his presence by un-appointed members from the Party Chairman’s clan.
The ‘clan’ label has not been publicly shed off by either the Chairman or his closest ‘associates’ in any of the occasions it surfaced in the media. To the contrary, a great number of observers are coming to the belief that the Chairman cultivates it and revels in it as ‘it’ has, according to the prevailing psych in his camp, come to his aid at times he was politically cornered by politicians from the two other national parties – even if some of them hailed from the same oft-flaunted label.
Whatever the case might be, Wednesday’s resignations is a jolting blow to Waddani and, if what political analysts are prophesying become true, the beginning of a spate of resignations from stampeding, disgruntled members to follow.
Press conference as below:
