Benin: Kandi’s first deputy mayor and 4 arrondissement heads removed from office

The extraordinary session of the Kandi communal council made its decision. Five elected officials holding key positions lost their posts following a vote of no confidence.

Those affected are: Aboudouwahabe Seydou, first deputy mayor, Moustapha Imorou, head of the Kandi 3 arrondissement, Gounou Charles Tamou Bagri, head of the Donwari arrondissement, Idrissou Kora Gounou, head of the Sam arrondissement, and Raoufou Salifou, head of the Angaradebou arrondissement.

These removals follow their departure from the FCBE. In a letter dated August 21, the party’s national executive secretary, Paul Hounkpè, had formally withdrawn his support for eight communal councilors. According to the ousted first deputy mayor, he resigned “on instructions from his base,” despite the risks involved.

A wave of resignations from FCBE

The five elected officials are not alone. In all, ten communal councilors have recently left their original party: eight FCBE councilors, one UP-R councilor, and another councilor from the FCBE list, all of whom have joined the party Les Démocrates, led by former president Boni Yayi. This political reshuffle within the Kandi communal council illustrates the tensions running through the local political scene.

In response, Les Démocrates held a press briefing on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, to denounce a “two-speed democracy.” The opposition party called the removal of its elected officials a “political maneuver” aimed at muzzling the opposition and reducing its influence on the ground.

Despite these objections, the no-confidence motion ran its course and the key positions are now vacant, pending the reorganization of the communal council. A situation that could further weaken local governance in Kandi, unless a political compromise is reached in the coming days.