BY Mayowa Tijani
Lionel Zinsou, prime minister of Benin Republic, says he has conceded defeat to Patrice Talon, winner of the country’s presidential election.
Zinsou said he had placed a call to the new prime minister to congratulate him on his victory.
“I called Patrice heel tonight to congratulate him on his victory and wish him good luck,” he said in a Facebook post before the final election results were announced.
“I am going to speak in front of the press to thank my constituents after the announcement by CENA (Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome/ Benin, the country’s electoral commission).”
Though slightly different, the gesture of conceding elections at presidential levels still remains a strange phenomenon in Africa.
The feat was regarded as unprecedented just about a year ago, when Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president, called to congratulate Muhammadu Buhari, the first person from the opposition to win a presidential election in the country.
In an interview with TheCable prior to the March 28 2015 presidential election, Jonathan said he was going to concede defeat if he lost.
“We are in a democracy. I have always congratulated governorship candidates when they win, even when they defeat candidates of my own party. I will congratulate whoever wins,” he had said.
“I am not known for violence. I will never incite people to start spilling blood because of an election. It is not worth it. My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.
“You see, it is God that made me president. If God says I will be re-elected, there is nothing anybody can do to stop me. All the plots against me will fail. All the lies will crumble. All the hate messages will amount to nothing. God put me here and if he says it is time to go, he knows best. If he says I will do a second term, no amount of lies can unseat me.”
Talon, who is known as the king of cotton in Benin, used to be an ally of Thomas Boni Yayi, the outgoing president, until he was accused of masterminding a plot to poison Yayi in 2012.
Yayi is stepping down after two terms.
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