The Parti des peuples africains-Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI), led by former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, has announced that multiple party officials and activists will be barred from attending its first ordinary congress scheduled for May 14–15, 2026, in Abidjan.
According to an official statement, these individuals—Don Mello, Stéphane Kipré, Dali Arthur, Armand Ouégnin, and others—are currently facing disciplinary proceedings. Their exclusion stems from their refusal to comply with the party’s decision to abstain from the October 2025 presidential election and the December 2025 legislative polls.
Internal party tensions fuel disciplinary measures
The upcoming congress, set to take place at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan, aims to consolidate the party’s structure and reinvigorate its membership base. However, internal divisions have surfaced, prompting the PPA-CI leadership to take strict action against dissenting members.
In the statement, the party emphasized that the affected individuals would remain excluded until the conclusion of their disciplinary cases. The communiqué listed their names alongside a clear directive: participation in the congress was conditional on adherence to the party’s decisions.
The ongoing disciplinary actions underscore the growing rift within the PPA-CI, particularly among high-ranking cadres who challenged Laurent Gbagbo’s strategic call to boycott the recent electoral processes in Côte d’Ivoire.
