In a powerful statement delivered in Kinshasa on May 8, 2026, leading opposition figure Martin Fayulu slammed a proposed referendum law, labeling it an illegal maneuver designed to allow President Félix Tshisekedi to remain in power beyond his second term.
A Legal “Subterfuge”
The leader of the ECiDé party pointed directly at the initiative led by Member of Parliament Paul Gaspard Ngondankoy. According to Fayulu, this proposed law is nothing more than a “backdoor” intended to bypass Article 220 of the Constitution, which strictly protects the fundamental principles of the Republic, specifically the limitation of presidential terms.
> “A Constitution that yields to a crisis ceases to be a Constitution. It becomes a mere tool of convenience at the service of power,” he declared, denouncing the use of hand-picked experts to validate what he considers a move toward dictatorship.
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The Specter of a Third Term
For the opposition leader, the stakes are clear: preventing any change to the rules of the game before the 2028 elections.
Fayulu accuses the current administration of attempting to use the concept of “major dysfunction” as a pretext to strip constitutional prohibitions of their substance.
In this regard, he recalled the historical precedent of January 2015, when popular mobilization forced the Senate to back down from a similar attempt during the Kabila era. For Fayulu, history is repeating itself, and current MPs are now facing their own historical responsibility.
A Country in Crisis, Threatened Sovereignty
Martin Fayulu also linked this political tension to the dramatic security situation in the East of the country. He openly questioned the true motives behind the ongoing state of war:
General Insecurity: The occupation of several areas by the M23/AFC and massacres carried out by the ADF.
Humanitarian Crisis: Over eight million internally displaced persons.
Political Suspicions: Fayulu asked whether this war is being “maintained to prevent the organization of the 2028 elections.”
The “People’s Commander” Ultimatum
The tone hardened as Fayulu addressed the end of Félix Tshisekedi’s mandate. Quoting a popular slogan, he insisted:
> “Commandant du peuple, in 2028, whether he likes it or not, he must go.” (*“Commandant du peuple, na 2028, alinga to alinga te, akokende”*).
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In conclusion, the opposition leader called upon the President’s sense of responsibility to avoid further weakening national cohesion and “consecrating the balkanization” of the DRC. To break the deadlock, he reiterated his long-standing demand: the holding of an inclusive national dialogue, which he views as the only way to preserve the unity and sovereignty of the Congo.
Kinshasa, May 8, 2026.
