Benin: Bertin Koovi suspended and disqualified until 2029 by the BR.
The Bloc Républicain (BR) has decided to maintain the suspension of one of its influential militants, Bertin Koovi, following a publication deemed contrary to the party’s internal rules. The decision, ratified on February 7, 2026 by the National Executive Board, provides for a one-year suspension as well as ineligibility for any leadership position until February 2029.
SUMMARY
Everything begins on February 4, 2026, when BR’s National Executive Secretariat reviews a publication attributed to Bertin Koovi, circulated on social media. According to the official statement, the text contained personal positions and political orientations expressed “without a mandate,” in violation of the duty of restraint imposed on executives and militants.
In a political context marked by preparations for the upcoming elections, the party leadership deemed that these statements damaged internal discipline and the strategic coherence of the formation. Convened in an extraordinary session on the proposal of the Executive Secretariat, the National Executive Board validated the double sanction of the suspension of all party activities for a period of one year, i.e., until February 7, 2027, and the ineligibility for any internal leadership position for three years, i.e., until February 2029. A decision with immediate effect.
Between Regrets and Loyalty on Display
On his side, Bertin Koovi explained that his message aimed to relay “the deep frustration of grassroots militants,” with no intention of defiance or betrayal toward the party or the head of state, Patrice Talon. As soon as the sanction was announced, on February 5, 2026, Bertin Koovi released an audio and written message to respond publicly. In it, he acknowledges possible missteps and offers his apologies to the party leadership, notably to its president, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, as well as to President Patrice Talon. “If errors have been made, they were never out of a spirit of defiance or betrayal,” he stated, reaffirming his attachment to the BR: “The BR lives in me, and I live in the BR.”
Despite this attempt at appeasement, the party leadership maintained the full disciplinary measures.
Holding a PhD in economics and a well-known political figure in Cotonou, Bertin Koovi first distinguished himself in the opposition before joining the presidential majority. Former president of the Iroko Alliance (dissolved in 2021), he joined the Republican Bloc in the same year, after having been cleared by the courts in a case that had sparked controversy.
Within the BR, he held notably the post of strategy adviser. An active activist and sometimes critical of certain internal orientations, he had established himself as an influential voice among grassroots militants.
Political Stakes and Consequences
The sanction thus comes in a climate of political repositioning and internal tensions within the governing majority. For the Republican Bloc, a key party supporting President Talon’s actions, it is above all about preserving unity, discipline, and strategic clarity as elections approach.
By making Bertin Koovi ineligible for any internal leadership position until 2029, the party clearly aims to reassure those who still doubt that the freedom of expression of militants remains bounded by the party’s operating rules and the decision-making hierarchy.
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