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Tag: Benin

  • PRES. TINUBU CONGRATULATES WADAGNI, BENIN REPUBLIC’S PRESIDENT-ELECT

    PRES. TINUBU CONGRATULATES WADAGNI, BENIN REPUBLIC’S PRESIDENT-ELECT

     

     

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the President-elect of the Republic of Benin, His Excellency, Romuald Wadagni, on his victory at the polls, a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy has disclosed.

    Romuald Wadagni, the country’s Minister of Finance, secured an overwhelming majority of the vote in the presidential election held on April 12, a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Bayo Onanuga disclosed.

    In a letter signed by him, President Tinubu said the victory “reflects the trust the Beninese people have placed in your vision and your distinguished record of service as Minister of Finance.”

    President Tinubu also stated that Nigeria and the Republic of Benin “share a long history of friendship, cultural ties, and cooperation,” adding that he looked forward to working with His Excellency Romuald Wadagni to strengthen bilateral relations.

    The full text of the letter :

    Your Excellency and Dear Brother,

    “On behalf of the Government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I extend my warmest congratulations to you on your election as the President of the Republic of Benin following the polls held on April 12, 2026.

    “I commend the Government and people of the Benin Republic for conducting a peaceful election and noted that Wadagni’s victory reflects the trust the people have placed in his vision and record of service as the current Minister of Finance.

    “This transition marks a significant chapter in your nation’s history. I therefore commend the people of Benin for their resilience and commitment to the democratic process and to maintaining peace during the election cycle.

    “Our two nations share a long history of friendship, cultural ties, and cooperation. I therefore look forward to working closely with your administration to strengthen our bilateral relations further, enhance regional security, and promote economic prosperity within the ECOWAS sub-region and the African Union.

    “As you prepare to assume the onerous responsibilities of the high office of the Presidency, I wish you great wisdom, fortitude, and success. You can please rest assured of my unstinting support and cooperation in this regard.”

     

  • Wadagni, Ruling Coalition’s Candidate Wins Benin Presidential Election with 94% Vote

    Wadagni, Ruling Coalition’s Candidate Wins Benin Presidential Election with 94% Vote

     

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    Cotonou, (Benin)

    The Benin National Autonomous Election Commission, CENA, has declared Kossi Mbueke Romuald, 49, the ruling Coalition’s candidate and Finance Minister for the past 10 years, winner of the 12 April 2026 presidential election with 94.05% of the vote.

    According to the Commission, based on the processed returns from 90.55% of votes in Benin’s 12 Administrative Departments and the Diaspora, Wadagni polled 4,252,347 votes against the opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe’s 269,433 or 5.95% of the 4,522756 total valid votes cast from the 7,897,287 registered voters.

    The Commission said these figures represented a 58.75% voter turnout.

    Even before the declaration of the provisional results, which have to be certified by the Constitutional Court, Hounkpe had conceded defeat, based on his observation of the balloting trend.

    Benin has a unique voter registration system, which automatically adds the name of every citizen aged 18 years and above to the voter’s roll, unlike in most other countries, where citizens register themselves to vote.

    The National Agency for the Identification of Persons, ANIP, says it is addressing the challenge of removing the names of the dead from the voter’s roll, following questions raised by civil society and the opposition about citizen participation and voter turnout figures in elections.

    The CENA puts the voter turnout in the 2016 presidential election at 68% and 36% for the 11 January 2026 parliamentary and municipal elections.

    The Benin presidential election took place amid far-reaching constitutional reforms and a drastic reduction in the number of political parties, with the opposition alleging exclusion and the shrinking of the civic space.

    The presidential election result followed a similar pattern with the January 11 elections, which saw the ruling Coalition winning all the 109 parliamentary seats.##