Malé City Mayor Adam Azim, who is seeking the MDP ticket to contest a second term, has deleted a 2012 post on X in which he praised key figures involved in the 7 February 2012 overthrow of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
The post, dated 9 September 2012, resurfaced on Tuesday and spread widely before Azim removed it. In the post, Azim compared the three national heroes who liberated the Maldives from Portuguese invaders with those involved in ending Nasheed’s government, describing both groups as heroes. He also tagged former police commissioner Abdulla Riyaz in the post. Azim is the brother of former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, a central figure in the events of 2012.
The resurfaced post drew strong criticism from MDP supporters, with many questioning how a candidate seeking the party’s mayoral ticket could have publicly supported individuals involved in the ousting of the first MDP government.
The controversy came a day after Azim faced backlash over remarks made at a primary campaign rally. He told supporters the MDP had been “under a blanket” after losing the 2023 presidential election and credited himself with restoring party morale through his by-election win.
MDP activist Hussain Shafiu posted a video of the speech on X, saying the remarks disrespected ordinary party members. Former MDP chairperson and former defence minister Mariya Ahmed Didi also rejected the comments. She said she had not taken a side in the primary but described Azim’s tone as unacceptable, noting the resilience shown by MDP supporters after the 2012 coup and the party’s defeat in the 2013 presidential election.
She urged Azim to apologise to what she called the party’s “golden yellow army”, a view echoed by many MDP members.
Azim is seeking the MDP nomination to run for a second term as Malé mayor in the upcoming local council elections.