Mogadishu, Somalia — Somalia’s former intelligence chief, Fahad Yasin, said Saturday that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is “unfit for election” on a national scale.
Yasin’s sharp criticism followed a public dispute over allegations of rigging within the president’s own political party. The internal party conflict began after complaints from the former Mayor of Mogadishu, Yusuf Madaale.
Madaale, a senior member of the president’s Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP), publicly complained about the party’s internal process. He was angry after the JSP’s deputy secretary-general announced a different candidate, Muungaab, for an upcoming election in Mogadishu.
“The justice we announced for our party… has become dark,” Madaale said in a media appearance. “Somalis say you first look at a tailor’s own clothes.”
Madaale said the party leadership was breaking its own rules.
“Unfortunately, the deputy secretary-general announced the JSP party’s candidate for the Banadir region while a campaign is underway,” he added. “The JSP party has election bylaws.”
Madaale’s specific complaint highlights a deep internal division. By publicly announcing a preferred candidate, the party leadership appears to be bypassing its own democratic processes. This undermines members like Madaale, who may have also been seeking the nomination.
‘He abandoned the constitution’
Fahad Yasin, the former director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), quickly used the complaint to attack the president.
“We can learn one lesson from Mr. Yusuf Madaale’s complaint,“ Yasin wrote on X.
He argued that if President Mohamud cannot manage his own party, he cannot manage a national poll. “How does he want to be trusted with a one-person, one-vote election?“ Yasin asked. He noted that the president’s own members were “complaining of rigging and abuse.”
The former spy chief expanded his criticism beyond the party dispute, accusing the president of ignoring national agreements.
“He abandoned the constitution that was agreed upon. He canceled the electoral laws that were agreed upon,“ Yasin said. “Today, we are at the point of complaining about the violation of the ruling party’s own rules.”
Somalia Today contacted Villa Somalia for a comment on the allegations from both Madaale and Yasin. Officials in Villa Somalia had not responded by the time of publication.
The dispute comes as Somalia’s 2026 election approaches. Authorities plan for it to be the nation’s first “one-person, one-vote“ universal election in over 50 years.
This marks a significant shift from the long-standing indirect, clan-based electoral model. However, according to recent political statements, national leaders have not yet reached a final, binding agreement on the exact rules and procedures for the vote.
A new ‘kingmaker’ alliance
Yasin’s criticism is not random. It comes just days after he joined a major new political alliance, positioning himself as a key opponent to the president.
The new party is named the Haybad Qaran (National Dignity Union). Other high-profile leaders, including former Galmudug President Abdikarim Hussein Guled and former Mogadishu governor Taabid Abdi Mohamed, formed it.
In a joint statement, the group said it united to address “damage to national unity,” “economic decay,“ and a “visible despair in Somali statehood.”
The alliance has tapped former Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon (Saacid) as its presidential candidate. Analysts describe Shirdon, who served from 2012-2013, as a respected moderate figure with “no political damage.“
Fahad Yasin, the powerful former NISA director, is not the candidate. Instead, he is seen as a “Kingmaker“ in the new party. His role as a top political operator signals the seriousness of this latest challenge to President Mohamud.
Therefore, the public dispute within the president’s ruling JSP provides direct political ammunition for this new and formidable opposition bloc.