Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has publicly urged Somalia’s Federal President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to resign, accusing him of failing to unite the country and deliver an electoral process agreed upon by the country’s political stakeholders.
Deni made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Puntland government media, in which he addressed his prolonged political dispute with Hassan Sheikh, a disagreement that has persisted for more than four years.
The Puntland leader said he believed the federal president should step aside, arguing that doing so would be in the interest of Somalia, its people and Hassan Sheikh himself.
“I would advise Hassan Sheikh, out of consideration for the people, the country and even himself, to resign,” Deni said.
The remarks amount to a direct political challenge to Hassan Sheikh’s leadership, coming against the backdrop of longstanding tensions between Puntland and the Federal Government over governance, constitutional arrangements and the management of elections.
Deni accused the president of failing to bring Somalis together and safeguard the unity of the country. He also questioned his administration’s handling of the electoral process, arguing that it had failed to organise elections through a consensus-based arrangement.
The question of how Somalia conducts its elections has remained a major source of disagreement between the Federal Government and some federal member states, with disputes over the electoral framework and the extent of political agreement required before changes are implemented.
Deni’s latest remarks follow Puntland’s earlier decision to withdraw its recognition of Hassan Sheikh as Somalia’s sitting president, with the regional administration instead referring to him as a former president.
That position reflects the depth of the political breakdown between Puntland and Mogadishu, which has complicated relations between the federal authorities and the regional administration.