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Ugas Sheikh rubbishes Hassan Wehliye’s endorsement for Wajir governor

Monday, November 1st, 2021 20:28 | By
Nairobi businessman Ugas Sheikh-Mohamed. PHOTO/COURTESY

Nairobi businessman Ugas Sheikh-Mohamed has termed a decision by the Fai Sultanate to endorse Dr Hassan Khalid Wehliye as the community’s flag bearer for Wajir county gubernatorial seat as a sham verdict that lacked integrity from the beginning.

Ugas, who was among the four leading contenders for the governor’s seat alongside Nairobi South Hospital proprietor Dr Hassan Mohamed Adan and Engineer Bash Gedi Abdille claims that money exchanged hands and that the verdict confirmed the information in the public domain prior to the verdict on Sunday.

The 15 member Fai Clan Council of Ugas (Sub-clan leaders) of the Degodia clan settled Wehliye who is currently the head of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Coast region after a rigorous vetting process.

“After long deliberations with Ugas (elders) of Fai Community. We have unanimously settled on Hassan Wehliye Khalid to be the flag bearer of Fai Community in Wajir County Gubernatorial Contest in 2022 general elections,” Sultan Najib Ugas Ahmed Liban, who doubles as the Chairperson of the Sultanate of Fai Community said on Sunday.

But in a quick rejoinder, Ugas, who walked out of the Sultanate process was compromised to defeat the will of the people after being promised both monetary and non-monetary rewards for picking Dr Wehliye as the flagbearer in total disregard of the ethical standards required of them.

“It is quite unfortunate and indeed unacceptable that the membership of the sultanate whom the community bestowed trust betrayed the trust both us in 2016 and now in this instance,” he said in a strongly-worded statement sent to newsrooms on Monday.

“This process was sham and shambolic and do not reflect the true position at the ground. I was shortchanged and we will seek other alternatives,” the statement added.

He claimed that he was endorsed by the Sultanate in July 2017 and subsequently his endorsement was unexpectedly and irrationally withdrawn five months later in December 2016.

“I reluctantly agreed then and stepped down in favour of the former Governor, Mohamed Abdi on the understanding and promise that I shall be the sole gubernatorial candidate from the family in the 2022 Elections,” he said.

He went on: “The agreement of 2017 was deliberately and shamelessly disowned by the Sultanate in this process despite our several requests that they put the terms of the said agreement into consideration in determining the community’s gubernatorial candidate.”

“The process was thus unfair, arbitrary, irrational and entirely based on monetary and nonmonetary considerations and devoid of any merit.” He held.

According to him, the criteria used to pick the candidate is unknown.

“This corrupt and illegitimate process cannot yield legitimate outcomes that are of value to Wajir people. In the circumstance, and in view of the foregoing grievances and after extensively consulting with my supporters, I made a firm decision to proceed with my campaigns with a view to capturing the seat of the governor of Wajir County in the forthcoming 2022 General Elections,” he said.

He added that the gross injustice meted on him can only be addressed and corrected through popular democracy and the ballot.

Ugas Sheikh will not face Dr Wehliye who both come from the populous Fai clan.

Others on the race are incumbent Governor Ahmed Ali Muktar and ex-governor Ahmed Abdullahi.

Abdullahi’s bid a fortnight got a major boost after his larger Degodia clan endorsed him as a sole candidate to battle it out with others.

Abdullahi got the crucial 'blessings' from representatives of nine of the ten Degodia sub-clans.

They included gelible, masare, jibrail, dumaal, fardanow, abrisha, idiris and raqay of the dominant Degodia clan.

This came days after Abdullahi who is famously known as Jiir was also endorsed by his Mantaan sub tribe to vie for the seat.

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