Former Togo presidential candidate Agbéyomé Kodjo faces prison

The unsuccessful presidential candidate (18.37% of the votes), the former Prime Minister (31/8 / 2000-29 / 6/2002) Agbéyomé Kodjo, saw his parliamentary immunity lifted on March 16, following the request of the public prosecutor at the Lomé Court of First Instance, Essolissam Poyodi, requested from the President of the National Assembly, Yawa Djigbodi Tségan.

After the victory (72.36% of the votes) of the outgoing president Faure Gnassingbé who will fulfill his 5th mandate for 5 years and following his self-proclamation of president of Togo, the representative of the dynamic Kpodzro in the last election, called the security forces as head of the armed forces and appointed its prime minister, Antoine Nadjombé then delivered his speech on taking office. He also created an official website.

Accused of having acted for these facts, he is also accused of spreading false news. After a first postponement, the National Assembly ended up delivering him to justice and 80 parliamentarians out of 90 voted for the lifting of his immunity. Following this, the home of Agbéyomé Kodjo was sealed off by the police and several opposition candidates showed their support for him.

The prosecutor wishes to hear Agbéyomè Kodjo for his « attack on the security of the State » and the aggravated disturbances with the public order, knowing that serious presumptions of having committed breaches of the criminal law are reproached to him like the use abusive of the symbols and emblems of the State or the mass of investiture, organized on February 1 under the aegis of Mgr Philippe Fanoko Kossi Kpodzro, archbishop of Lomé, who had been at the origin of the single candidacy of the opposition . He is also accused of accusing the president and members of the government of having orchestrated the fires in the large markets of Lomé and Kara.

Since his immunity waiver, Kodjo denounces a relentlessness of power against him and wonders why he is the only one of the 6 opposition candidates to be harassed. The President of the MPDD (Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development) says he is ready to collaborate with the justice system but declares that « one cannot steal someone’s votes and annoy him ». « They only have to bring the rifles to kill me at the same time, the Togolese will know that I died for them (…) We must stop all this cinema », he said while continuing to challenge the election and explain that the current situation will not have reason to be « If the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) had not carried out the electoral robbery » .. Following the insults and attacks including those of Professor Agba or the Minister Christian Trimua, he does not file a complaint. « Me, I do not prosecute them. One violates the constitution by not making campaign funds available to the candidates, I do not prosecute anyone. I did not send the people to the streets to seek their victory. I do not do not file a complaint against them and I am told that I have spoken to the military, are they not part of the electorate?  »

After his lifting of parliamentary immunity, Abdeyamé Kodjo awaits the fate which will be reserved for him. Will he return to prison? It will be the third time and he says to himself « be ready to live this ordeal to defend the victory of the Togolese people that the regime is trying to confiscate » …. « We have no weapons, we have no ‘money, but we have God on our side and the people with us. Even when we fold our arms, Faure Gnassingbé and her regime will fall, because nobody can accept that … « 

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VERONIQUE YANG

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