Gabriel Messan Agbéyomé KODJO, one of the rare Togolese politicians to have experienced power alongside the late Eyadéma GNASSINGBE and that of opposition to the regime of his son Faure GNASSINGBE, left the world of the living this Sunday 03 March 2024 at the age of 69.

The shock caused by this information which spread like wildfire on the evening of Sunday March 3, 2024 led many people not to believe it. Unfortunately, it is confirmed by close sources.

The former Togolese Prime Minister, driven into exile since the 2020 presidential election, died in hospital following an illness on Saturday March 2.

While some sources announced his return very soon with the risk of being incarcerated, it will ultimately be his lifeless body which risks being repatriated to Togo. A very sad end for a “great” character in the political and public life of Togo, like Monseigneur Philippe Fanoko KPODZRO, his mentor in the last presidential elections of 2020 under the banner of the “Dynamic Monseigneur Kpodzro” (DMK ), who also died in exile on January 9.

Gabriel Messan Agbéyomé KODJO, born October 12, 1954 in Tokpli in the Yoto Prefecture, had a fairly atypical political career. At the age of 34, he returned to government in 1988 as Minister of Youth and Sports, appointed by the late Eyadéma GNASSINGBE. Under the latter’s leadership, he will in turn exercise the political functions of Minister of Territorial Administration and Security, President of the National Assembly and Prime Minister of Togo.

From being the expected heir to the late General Eyadéma, Agbéyomé KODJO will instead become an “exile” after disagreements with the RPT (Rally of the Togolese People) camp. Returning to Togo after the death of General Eyadéma GNASSINGBE in 2005, he was briefly incarcerated before beginning his journey as an opponent of the regime of the son of his former mentor.

The day after the 2020 presidential election where he was supported by the Dynamique Monseigneur Kpodzro (DMK) to face Faure GNASSINGBE at the polls, Gabriel Agbéyomé KODJO will be arrested by the Gendarmerie, prosecuted by the courts; hence a second exile which unfortunately proved fatal to him.