The Mayor of the Capital, Abdikarim Ahmed Moge, has responded to allegations made against him by members of the Hargeisa Local Council. In a statement issued by Abdikarim Ahmed Moge, he stated that there is no basis to the accusations directed at him by the councilors and that they do not comply with Law No. 23. His response is as follows:
Subject: Response Opposing the Request for an Extraordinary Session
Honorable Members,
I have received your letter dated 29/03/2025, in which you request that I convene an extraordinary session. It is incumbent upon me to provide you with a legally compliant response, and here is my reply:
Firstly, you have requested that I convene an extraordinary session, citing Article 70, Paragraph 1, Subsections A and D of Law No. 23/2019, which refer to “deviation from fulfilling the council’s duties and the National Strategy, and habitual violation of national laws and regulations.”
You have also accused me of failing to hold the council’s regular sessions as mandated by Law No. 23/2019 and the Local Council Bylaws.
Additionally, you allege that I have violated Article 70, Paragraph 1, Subsection B, claiming that I have breached the Local Council Bylaws and Law No. 23/2019.
You further accuse me, under Article 70, Paragraph 1, Subsection C, of exhibiting authoritarianism and unilateral decision-making.
Lastly, you claim that I have violated Articles 44 and 51 of Law No. 23/2019, which pertain to council sessions, the responsibilities of the mayor, and his powers.
Now, addressing the allegations you have raised above, they are, in general, baseless and do not align with the articles you have referenced. I will provide a legal response to each point, rendering your arguments legally invalid:
Regarding the first accusation, based on Article 70, Paragraph 1, Subsections A and D, your letter fails to specify any duties I have neglected, any National Strategy I have deviated from, or any national laws or regulations I have violated. You have merely copied the wording of the article without identifying specific duties I failed to perform, a National Strategy I deviated from, or a legal provision I breached. This demonstrates that your accusation is nothing more than empty rhetoric.
On the second accusation, you claim I failed to hold the council’s regular sessions. However, honorable members, you seem to have forgotten—or are deliberately ignoring—the decision reached at the council’s 9th session, where we collectively agreed to postpone council sessions until after the elections. Furthermore, I remind you that following the elections, I issued two notices on 05/01/2025 and 08/01/2025, scheduling sessions that could have taken place, but you yourselves provided excuses for not attending. This renders your accusation baseless.
The third accusation alleges that I violated the Local Council Bylaws and Law No. 23/2019. Yet, your letter does not cite a single article I have breached or disregarded. You have simply copied the text of the law, which proves that your accusation lacks any legal foundation.
The fourth accusation, under Article 70, Paragraph 1, Subsection C, claims that I have exhibited authoritarianism and unilateral decision-making. This accusation mirrors your previous ones, relying solely on the general principles of the article without providing any evidence. Honorable members, I and the executive committee operate within the powers granted to us by Law No. 23/2019, the Local Council Bylaws, and the decisions arising from council sessions. There is no decision I, as mayor, or other members of the executive committee have made that contradicts these three sources of authority. What you label as “unilateralism” is merely the day-to-day execution of the mayor’s and executive committee’s duties as outlined in Law No. 23/2019 and the Local Council Bylaws.
The fifth accusation is yet another baseless claim, unsupported by legal reasoning or evidence.
As for the legality of your letter requesting an extraordinary session, it does not comply with the law. Some councilors have confirmed that they did not request an extraordinary session, yet their signatures appear on a document calling for the 10th regular session. Additionally, it is evident from the date of your letter that some councilors listed were not even in the country at the time. This discrepancy between the content of the allegations and the signatures—lacking initial signatures—further highlights the inconsistencies.
Since your proposal to hold an extraordinary session does not comply with Law No. 23/2019 or the Local Council Bylaws, there is no basis for me to convene such a meeting. However, I remain ready to hold the regular sessions that were previously unfeasible due to the circumstances.
In conclusion, I consider your allegations lacks legal merit as they do not conform to the law. Therefore, in accordance with Article 30, Paragraph 6 of the Local Council Bylaws, which states: “If a dispute arises regarding the legality of a removal from office, it shall be referred to the council’s standing committee for mediation and resolution, and if they are unable to resolve it, it shall be escalated to the Regional Governor and the Ministries of Interior and Local Government,” I will proceed accordingly.