JSP secretary general resigns in second high-profile exit in days

Wednesday March 25, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — A senior Somali lawmaker has broken publicly with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s ruling political camp, resigning from a top party post and warning that disputes over governance, constitutional changes and elections are pushing the country into deeper political strain.

Somali federal MP Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein Odawaa stepped down as Secretary General of the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) and relinquished his membership, according to a statement he published on his official Facebook page on March 25, 2026. In the message, he said he could no longer reconcile his differences with the party’s chairman, President Mohamud, whom he accused of sidelining party leaders while centralizing decision-making.

“Today, March 25, 2026, I officially resign from the position of Secretary General and also from my membership in the Justice and Solidarity Party,” Odawaa said. “This resignation is due to deep differences of opinion that have existed between me and the chairman of the JSP Party and the President of the Republic, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.”

Odawaa, described as a longtime ally of the president, criticized what he portrayed as one-man rule inside both the party and government. He said the president had increasingly made key decisions without consulting party leadership and had brushed aside dissenting views on how the country should be governed.

Among Odawaa’s central objections were the recently approved constitutional amendments that extend the mandate of federal institutions by one year. He argued that the changes were adopted without broad agreement and could threaten Somalia’s federal arrangement by setting a precedent for contested extensions.

“We have different opinions with the president on the country’s electoral system,” Odawaa said. “The president has insisted on establishing an electoral system in which he can control the results. I believe elections should be agreed upon by all political stakeholders, given our country’s vulnerability to political conflict and instability.”

The MP also took aim at federal relations with regional administrations, cautioning against measures he said would erode the foundations of the federal system. He condemned what he called restrictions on the movement of lawmakers and citizens within Somalia and abroad, pointing in particular to reports that federal MPs were being prevented from leaving Mogadishu.

“Preventing a national parliamentarian with immunity from traveling is an unjustifiable violation of the law and an affront to the independence of parliament,” he said.

Odawaa’s exit is the second prominent departure from the JSP in recent days, coming after Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen resigned from the party. The resignations underscore widening rifts as relations sour between the federal government and several regional administrations.

President Mohamud’s term is due to end in May 2026, but the amended constitution extends the mandate of federal institutions by one year. Puntland State, Jubbaland and Southwest State have rejected the extension, as have opposition groups, raising fears that rival political tracks could emerge in parallel.