The white smoke rose in the early hours of Tuesday, October 14, 2025. The opposition party, Les Democrats, has finally named its duo of candidates for the April 2026 presidential election. They are lawyer Renaud Agbodjo and Jude Lodjou. It's a rather unlikely presidential ticket, considering that these two men are not leading figures in the political party.

The Sodjinou problem

The party will now have to submit the duo's candidacy file to the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA).

It remains to be seen whether these documents will be accepted because, at present, the party is not sure of presenting the 28 endorsements necessary to validate the candidacy files of its standard-bearers.

Indeed, according to the local press, MP Michel Sodjinou demanded, by bailiff's writ, the return of his sponsorship form already recovered by the party president, Boni Yayi.

When he failed to win his case, he appealed to the Cotonou Court of First Instance. In a decision handed down yesterday, Monday, October 13, the court ordered Boni Yayi to return his individual sponsorship form.

If the former Beninese president refused to comply with this injunction, the court asked the CENA to invalidate this sponsorship form and issue another one to the MP.

A fragile presidential dream

If this parliamentarian does not grant his sponsorship to the duo of candidates, the opposition party will not be able to participate in the presidential election of April 2026.

Let's remember that candidates in this election must be sponsored by 28 MPs. This is exactly the number of parliamentarians that the Democrats have in the National Assembly. And if Mr. Sodjinou withdraws his sponsorship, it will be the end of the presidential dream for this political party.