Benin: Former Energy Minister Paulin Akponan expected in court this Wednesday

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The former Beninese Minister of Energy, Paulin Akponna, is due to appear this Wednesday, July 16, 2025, before the Abomey-Calavi courthouse. This appearance follows a defamation complaint filed against him by Samou Séidou Adambi, his predecessor in the ministry. He is accused of public statements made at a political rally in Titirou at Parakou on June 21.

During this event, broadcast and relayed in several local media, Paulin Akponna accused the former minister of embezzlement. Remarks deemed serious and unfounded by Samou Séidou Adambi who immediately took the matter to court. The atmosphere quickly became tense around this controversial event, causing unrest within the ruling party.

Immediate political sanction and public mea culpa

Less than a week after these accusations, Paulin Akponna is dismissed from his ministerial duties on June 26, 2025. In the midst of this, the Republican Bloc, his political formation, distances itself. In a terse statement, the party disassociates itself from his statements, which it deems “incompatible with the line of responsibility and loyalty” advocated by the BR.

On June 27, the now former minister receives a summons from the Abomey-Calavi court. The next day, he attempts to defuse the situation by making a public apology, stating that he had “not measured the impact” of his words and expressing his regrets to Samou Séidou Adambi, and the public.

Despite the apologies, the legal proceedings are ongoing. Unless there are new developments, Paulin Akponna will have to answer this Wednesday for the accusations made against him, in what promises to be a high-profile trial, involving two major figures of the Beninese political sphere.

For now, neither Samou Séidou Adambi, nor his entourage have made any public statements since the complaint was filed.