In a statement posted on his Facebook page, the opposition leader said the government had aimed to wrest control of Galmudug from the people of the region, and failed.

"Leaders of the federal government used the power and money of the state to overthrow the Galmudug president. Although they did not achieve that goal, they managed to divide the leadership of the region. After they took control of the electoral process in Galmudug, the end result is that the clans and elders of Galmudug are complaining of robbery and looting, the outgoing president is forming his own administration in Galkayo, and Ahlu Sunnah and candidates running for the region’s presidency are boycotting the election… Every attempt by an individual or a group aimed at wrestling control from the Somali people, those in Galmudug included, in the past 30 years, had ended in failure,” he said.

His comments came after four presidential candidates in the Galmudug election announced they will boycott it. Ahlu Sunnah wal Jama’ah, a Sufi Islam group that has huge influence in the region, has also condemned the electoral process led by the federal government, saying that it will have no part in it.

The outgoing Galmudug president, Ahmed Duale Haf, has also rejected the government-led process and has launched his own electoral process in Galkayo. How the federal government handles this complicated situation remains to be seen.