Resignation of Hounkpè from FCBE: the suspicion of a negotiated exit still lingers.

The party leadership claims to have seen nothing coming. But the unspoken concerns surrounding a potential institutional positioning continue to fuel speculation. On April 28, 2026, just a few days after the Constitutional Court announced the final results of the presidential election held on April 12, Paul Hounkpè submitted his resignation as head of the Force Cauris for an Emerging Benin (FCBE). This decision was made in silence, without consultation, and two months later, it continues to raise questions.

The party’s Political Bureau quickly expressed its “dismay” and “regrets,” deeming this resignation, which occurred “without relevant justification,” even more “incomprehensible” as it happened at an important time for the political formation. Invited to the set of E-Télé on Sunday, June 21, 2026, El-Farouk Soumanou, the 2nd deputy national executive secretary of the FCBE, did not clarify the situation. “We are his deputies, he did not consult us, he did not give us any indication of this,” he stated.

This remark suggests that even Hounkpè’s closest circle was not involved in this decision. “To this day, we are still trying to understand the essence of his thoughts,” the 2nd deputy confided.

It is within this explanatory void that the main rumor thrives: Hounkpè may have negotiated, behind the scenes, a position within the institutions before leaving the FCBE. In his resignation letter, the former leader himself had left an ambiguous statement, writing he wanted to “reflect on how I can be useful to the group and the nation,” a phrasing that, in light of the speculations, takes on a particular significance.

When directly questioned on the matter, Soumanou dismissed the theory. “If he were to benefit from such a positioning outside the party, it would certainly pose a problem,” he asserted. In the meantime, Hounkpè has not disappeared from the political landscape. He remains a member of the FCBE and has been appointed by the National Council to chair the committee responsible for implementing governance agreements made as part of the party’s alignment with the presidential movement.

This internal positioning allows him to maintain influence, but it does not quell questions about his external ambitions. Garba Yaya, former spokesperson and ex-mayor of Bembèrèkè, is now serving as the interim head of the party, awaiting a congress whose date has not yet been officially set.