Benin: CENA Denounces “Disinformation Campaign” by Démocrates, Clarifies Sodjinou Affair

In a press release made public this Monday, October 20, 2025, the institution led by Sacca Lafia firmly responded to the “defamatory allegations and baseless accusations” relayed by the opposition party Les Démocrates. CENA denounced a “regrettable disinformation campaign,” accusing certain political officials of seeking to “manipulate public opinion” and “disrupt the smooth running of the electoral process.”

At the heart of this clarification is the endorsement affair involving MP Michel Sodjinou, which has become a genuine political saga just months ahead of the 2026 presidential election.

Contrary to the accusations made by Les Démocrates, who spoke of an “arbitrary invalidation” of their MP’s endorsement form, CENA insists that no forced exclusion took place.
According to the statement, Michel Sodjinou himself withdrew the new endorsement form that had been issued to him.

The withdrawal, carried out on October 14, 2025, was “formally recorded” through a discharge document signed by the lawmaker. CENA therefore maintains that this decision was a personal choice made by the MP, not the arbitrary enforcement of a court order, as the opposition party had suggested.

The bailiff’s role: an intervention governed by law

The other point CENA sought to clarify concerns the involvement of a court bailiff in the process. CENA states that it never mandated MP Sodjinou’s bailiff, Maître René Assad Agbodjo, contrary to what certain rumors suggest. It was instead Maître Alain Akpo who was officially mandated by the Commission, “strictly within the scope of his electoral duties and in accordance with the law.”

This intervention, according to the statement, “complied with the legal procedures in force and cannot be equated with any political maneuvering.”

CENA reaffirms its neutrality and commitment to transparency

In conclusion, the electoral commission reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to organizing transparent, credible and democratic elections, in strict compliance with the laws of the Republic.”

It called on all political actors, “particularly those engaged in spreading rumors,” to show responsibility and restraint.

“Concerns must be expressed through legal channels, not through the manipulation of public opinion,” CENA insisted.

Against a backdrop already marked by controversy over endorsements, this official statement aims to set the record straight from an institutional standpoint and to reassure the public about the credibility of the electoral process, with less than six months to go before the presidential election.