Garowe (WDN) The President of Puntland State, Said Abdullahi Deni, who today presided over the graduation ceremony of new security forces in Bosaso, addressed sensitive issues concerning the ongoing dispute between Puntland and the Federal Government of Somalia. He firmly laid out conditions for Puntland’s participation in the upcoming National Consultative Council (NCC) meeting scheduled to take place in Mogadishu.

President Deni declared that Puntland would continue to boycott federal processes until the Federal Government reverses course on several critical issues. Chief among these is the reinstatement of the Provisional Federal Constitution of Somalia (PFCS), which he accused the federal leadership of abandoning unilaterally. Deni demanded the immediate dismissal of the controversial election law, which President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration drafted and approved without national consultation, and the disbandment of the so-called “National Electoral Commission,” which Puntland views as an illegitimate body, handpicked without consensus among the federal member states.

Deni made it unequivocally clear that he would not attend the NCC meeting slated for May 1st at Villa Somalia, chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, unless these fundamental grievances are addressed.

“We are absent from the National Consultative Forum because the agreements we collectively made were abandoned. No one will return to the table until those agreements are honored,” said President Deni. “President Hassan must fulfill his promises: reinstate the Provisional Federal Constitution, nullify the unilaterally imposed election law, and disband the handpicked electoral commission that lacks legitimacy.”

He emphasized that the dialogue framework he established earlier in Garowe remains open and that Puntland is prepared for genuine negotiations aimed at restoring trust and achieving lasting national consensus.

This strong stance from Puntland comes shortly after the Federal Government announced that President Deni would participate in the upcoming NCC conference — a claim Deni’s remarks have now publicly refuted.

The NCC meeting, convened by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, aims to bring together federal and regional leaders to resolve political disputes, bolster national unity, and strengthen collaboration in the fight against extremist groups such as Daesh and Al-Shabaab.

Nevertheless, President Deni has boycotted NCC meetings since December 2022, following the deepening rift between Puntland and the Federal Government. Relations between the two sides have deteriorated sharply, with communication and cooperation grinding to a near halt amid escalating political disagreements.

WardheerNews