Dismissal of Paulin Akponna: the government reacts, the Presidency awaits evidence
The Beninese government has reacted firmly to comments made by former Minister of Energy, Water, and Mines, Paulin Akponna, during the visit of his spokesperson to Parakou.
SUMMARY
When asked about the aftermath of this issue, the government spokesperson, Wilfried Léandre Houngbédji, expressed the position of the State leader, Patrice Talon, who believes that accusations this serious cannot be dealt with lightly.
“The president considers that if the comments he has made are not part of a political leadership struggle, given their seriousness, Mr. Akponna should be free of any obligation of discretion or duty of solidarity towards the members of the government to bring all useful information to justice,” said the spokesperson.
However, the government regrets that, up to the date of his public statements, Paulin Akponna did not submit any official report to either the Presidency or his tutelary administration, regarding the alleged embezzlements. “If this was the case, it would have received the highest attention so that justice could handle it,” clarified Mr. Houngbédji.
This reaction falls in line with the philosophy of the Talon regime: “zero tolerance for corruption and poor governance”.
Public Embezzlement Accusations in Parakou
The offending remarks date back to Saturday, June 21, 2025, during a trip by the former minister to the city of Parakou. Before a stunned audience, Paulin Akponna exposed embezzlements of several tens of billions of CFA francs perpetrated, according to him, before his taking office.
He attributed these wrongdoings to ongoing shortages of electricity and drinking water in the northern part of the country, speaking of a true “drainage of the national budget”. These accusations, made without documented evidence, immediately provoked outcry among political and administrative circles, especially as they occurred in a context of internal tensions within the majority.
A Swift and Decisive Dismissal
In this tense climate, on Thursday, June 26, 2025, the government’s Secretary General, Édouard Ouin-ouro, announced the appointment of José Didier Tonato to replace Paulin Akponna via a press release. Mr. Tonato, already in charge of Living Environment and Transport, responsible for Sustainable Development, will now cumulatively assume the roles of Minister of Energy, Water, and Mines.
This presidential decision comes barely six months after the appointment of Paulin Akponna on January 6, 2025, as part of a technical reshuffle which saw the departure of his predecessor, Samou Séïdou Adambi.
According to matching sources, the former minister left his office early in the morning on June 26, without attending the scheduled cabinet meeting, confirming a hasty departure.
With this dismissal, Paulin Akponna becomes the minister with the shortest tenure under Patrice Talon’s administration since the latter came to power in April 2016.
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