Audit of the electoral file: Jean-Baptiste Elias’s response to Michel Alokpo’s accusations
In a much-anticipated appearance this Sunday, July 20, 2025, on ESAE TV, Jean-Baptiste Elias, President of the Steering Committee (Copil) for the electoral file audit, responded point by point to accusations leveled against him by Michel Alokpo, reporter of the same committee.
A firm-toned intervention, with supporting documents, from what he calls a clarification against “falsehoods”. The first topic discussed: the reasons for Michel Alokpo’s exclusion from the opening and evaluation of candidacy commission.
Jean-Baptiste Elias put forward considerations related to the level of training. “Mr. Michel Alokpo only presented his legal qualification. And a legal qualification is the equivalent of high school diploma. Period. Nothing more,” he said, before justifying the choice of better-qualified members for the mission. According to him, Mounirou Bachabi and himself respectively hold a DEA degree and a master’s in law, criteria that have weighed in the selection.
The Short-list Controversy
One of the most sensitive points of Alokpo’s accusations is the alleged existence of a pre-determined short-list of experts. An allegation that Jean-Baptiste Elias categorically refuted. “I repeat again: I have never handed any short-list to Mr. Alokpo”, he claimed, going as far as demanding that the latter provide proof. He also denied any collaboration with Kassim Chabi in creating such a list.
Another accusation: the alleged links between Elias and the four international experts finally recruited. The President of Copil rejected any familiarity with these experts before their arrival in Benin. “I have never seen any of the four experts before July 7, 2025,” he claimed, specifying that the first meeting took place in the presence of seven witnesses. “If [Michel Alokpo] thinks they are my friends, let him bring a single witness who can attest to that,” he challenged.
Assistant Horace Adoukonou in the Heat of Controversy
Michel Alokpo also criticized the hiring of Horace Adoukonou, presented as a close associate of Jean-Baptiste Elias and paid 500,000 FCFA for two months of service. An accusation the Copil president didn’t deny. “That’s not false. I know him. He has worked with me at various levels. But this isn’t a friends circle.” Regarding the question of remuneration, he fully acknowledged the amount stipulated in the contract and then pointed out a certain hypocrisy: “He [Michel Alokpo] forgot to tell you how much he earns. I earn nothing. He even forbade me from revealing his salary. Ask him the question.”
When asked about the existence of a prior personal conflict, Jean-Baptiste Elias gave a laconic “No.” However, his comments suggest lingering tensions. He accused Michel Alokpo of using the media to damage his reputation: “If there are things he doesn’t like, if he has grievances against X or Y, let him speak. But to tell lies that misinform the citizens, the responsibility is his.”