Three months after submitting resignation letter to EPRDF, it is confirmed that Abadula has now officially resigned as speaker of the Federal parliament
borkena
December 25,2017
The thirty-six member executive committee of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), which is drawn from four ethnic parties, accepted Abadula Gemeda’s resignation request as speaker of the Federal parliament. As confirmation of his resignation was pending, there were reports that the ruling elites approached Abadula to coax him to reconsider his decision.
The committee, which released a statement last week confessing that there is division within the party, is still undertaking its meeting which started nearly a fortnight ago. The meeting was called after the country is engulfed by unprecedented ethnic violence, including in University grounds across the country. It is not clear why Abadula has to submit his resignation to EPRDF rather than the parliament itself.
Abadula submitted his resignation letter in the month of September this year citing what he called “disrespect” to his party (Oromo People’s Democratic Organization – OPDO) and “his people.” But he did not spell out explicitly the manners in which his people and party were disrespected and as to which party party in the ruling coalition did so.
Later, leaked information unveiled that Abadula is one of key players within OPDO who believe that the ruling party and the federal government are dominated by Tigrean elites. A significant number of senior and junior members in Amhara National Democratic Movement (ANDM) share the indictment against Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Abadula Gemeda’s resignation decision came after ethnic conflict between Oromo and Somali speaking Ethiopians unfolded which caused the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent years ; over six hundred thousand Oromo speaking Ethiopians are displaced from Somali region of Ethiopia and currently living in temporary makeshift camps.
There is a belief in the opposition quarter that the ethnic conflict between Oromo and Somali is orchestrated by TPLF. Although it is not talked about openly, there seem to be similar belief in the ranks of OPDO party.
Abadula Gemeda served as speaker of parliament between 2010 and 2017. Earlier, he served as president of Oromo regional state of Ethiopia for about five years. Before he started his political career, he was in the military and served in different capacities including as Defense minister.
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