Nairobi, Kenya, April 21- Former Wajir governor Ahmed Abdullahi has bolstered his chances of recapturing the seat, after he teamed up with a former opponent during the 2017 gubernatorial contest Ahmed Muhumed in a bid to oust incumbent Mohamed Abdi.
On Wednesday, Abdullahi popularly known as ‘Jiir’ announced that Muhumed will deputize him in a new alliance that seeks to consolidate the numbers within their clans.
“I am proud to announce for the first time my Deputy Governor and running mate and I am honored to present to you that I shall be working with my brother Ahmed Muhumed Abdi (Cato). It has indeed been a great honour and privilege to have spent a significant amount of time to find the best match in terms of vision for Wajir and shared aspirations as we seek a solution to address the needs of our beloved county,’ Abdullahi said as he announced his deputy.
In 2017, Abdullahi who was seeking re-election on the Orange Democratic Movement party ticket suffered a shock defeat from the incumbent Mohamed Abdi Mohamud who garnered 49,029 votes against 35,527 votes while Muhumed managed 31,525 votes.
Abdullahi hails from the majority Degodia clan while his new ally Muhumed is from the Ogaden community majority of whom reside in the vote-rich Wajir South sub-county.
The new alliance means Abdullahi is a man to beat in the upcoming polls since both leaders enjoy a fairly huge backing from their supporters and hold political forte in their areas.
“After a long and serious consultation following my decision to vie for an elective county position, I’ve finally found a likeminded person and whom we share common visions in the bid to reform and proposer Wajir County. I’m honoured and grateful to deputise and be the running mate of my brother Ahmed Abdullahi, the first, former Governor of Wajir County,” Muhumed said after accepting the new role.
Despite being famed as the country’s best performing governor at the onset of devolution, former Wajir governor was carried away by the waves of clan politics that swept over the North during the 2017 polls.
For a long time, communities in the Northern region counties including Wajir have been using negotiated democracy to select their favorites for different seats after wide consultations between elders and the community members.
Although the clan system has come under heavy opposition from several leaders drawn from the region, it is likely to play a critical role in determining who emerges the winner in the upcoming polls.
In order to build a formidable team, Abdullahi will be looking to rope in the Arjuran clan in the Senate seat which will give him a head start in the August 9 contest.
The new alliance between Abdullahi and Muhumed means the troubled Wajir governor will not have a smooth sailing in reclaiming the gubernatorial seat.
Abdullahi will be banking on his development record including the construction of the first tarmac road in the Northeastern County since the country’s independence.
In 2015, Abdullahi was named the county’s best performing governor for allocating 58 per cent of the 2013/2014 budget on development projects.
Under his leadership, Wajir County performed the first cesarean operation in 2016 at the Habaswein sub-county hospital and initiated the first-ever psychiatric unit in the county.
Wajir was also ranked the best in the use of ICT in counties in 2014.
Other candidates who are eyeing the same seat include Abdi’s Deputy Ahmed Ali Mukhtar, Senator Abdullahi Ali, former Environment Chief Administrative Secretary Mohamed Elmi.
