Benin: Daniel Edah says he escaped a trap and calls for “dignified” politics
On Monday, September 29, 2025, Daniel Edah, a declared candidate for the 2026 presidential election and a recent member of the party Les Démocrates, publicly denounced what he sees as an attempt to manipulate and tarnish his image.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he says he was contacted on September 7 by a woman who described herself as having an ‘impressive background’ in beauty pageants. She allegedly requested a meeting to discuss a ‘personal’ matter, without specifying its nature.
After discussing it with his wife, Daniel Edah reportedly agreed in principle to an exchange, provided he was informed in advance of the subject of the discussion. The woman’s response was reportedly clear: she wanted to discuss it only one-on-one, without giving any hint of what it was about. Finding this lack of clarity problematic, he says he ended the conversation on September 13.
Since then, he says he learned that individuals were trying to involve him in a compromising affair. He denounces what he calls a “diversionary campaign,” aimed at distracting him from his ambitions and from substantive debate. He calls for a “dignified, responsible and forward-looking” politics, while asserting that those trying to unsettle him “are wasting their time.”
This stance comes at a strategic moment in his political trajectory. After long signaling his intention to run in the 2026 presidential election, he officially joined the opposition party Les Démocrates a few days ago — a political choice that further aligns him with the preparations for the upcoming vote.
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