Osman passed over both former prime ministers when choosing his first premier

Evidence

First, Osman and Issa both hailed from the Hiran region. Therefore, choosing Issa as prime minister was not politically feasible in a democracy. Second, President Osman thought that because Issa had been prime minister for the previous four years of the trusteeship period it was time to give others a chance. Third, the president had little knowledge of Egal, although the two men had met at least three times in Hargeisa and Mogadishu during their respective short visits to the two cities. Further, Egal’s substantial claim of being the political leader of the North, which should have boosted his chances for the premiership, was undercut by the split among the ranks of the Northern MPs, many of whom joined the opposing political camp. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 513