CENA : MP Michel Sodjinou’s sponsorship form annulled, Les Démocrates under pressure
The National Autonomous Electoral Commission has invalidated the sponsorship form issued on September 2, 2025, to Member of Parliament Michel François Oloutoyé Sodjinou, an elected representative of the opposition party Les Démocrates.
SUMMARY
The decision, made public on Tuesday, October 14, provides for the issuance of a new form to the concerned parliamentarian. This development comes amid growing tensions within the main opposition party.
Barely out of a long night of negotiations to select its presidential ticket, Boni Yayi’s party now faces a new political headache. The cancellation of Michel Sodjinou’s sponsorship deprives the party of a crucial signature, while the Electoral Code requires at least twenty-eight endorsements to validate a candidacy for the presidential election scheduled for April 12, 2026.
In its ruling, the CENA stated that the sponsorship form “is invalidated” and deemed “null and void.” The same document adds that a new form will be issued to the MP, enabling him “to exercise the rights attached to it.”
A political and legal showdown
The decision stems from a complaint filed by the MP himself. Michel Sodjinou had, the day before, formally requested the party president, Thomas Boni Yayi, to return his sponsorship form.
This move came as the party’s national council and executive coordination were still debating the choice of the presidential duo.
When his request went unanswered, the MP turned to the courts. Through a bailiff, he won his case against his own party. The Cotonou Court of First Instance issued an order on the evening of Monday, October 13, instructing the president of Les Démocrates and the party leadership to immediately return the form to the parliamentarian. Failing that, the court ordered the CENA to invalidate the document and issue a new one.
The Electoral Commission has now implemented this judicial decision by officially annulling the disputed sponsorship form.
For the opposition party, the situation has become even more complicated. Losing one endorsement reduces the number of available signatures and weakens the process of filing a candidacy.
With only a few hours left before the official deadline for submissions, the party leadership must urgently secure another sponsor to prevent its presidential ticket from being deemed inadmissible.
The battle over sponsorships, already central to the electoral strategy, has now turned into a true test of political endurance. The coming hours will be decisive in determining whether Les Démocrates can maintain their candidacy in the race for the April 2026 election.
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