Tshepiso Lopang, outgoing President of the African Chess Confederation, filed a formal complaint with the ACC Electoral Commission. The complaint requests the disqualification of newly elected President Benard Wanjala, following a signed statement from delegate Nicolas Carbonela, who states Wanjala offered him $1,500 in exchange for his vote.

Nicolas Carbonela

African Chess Confederation delegate

On July 27, 2026, at around 1:00 AM, the presidential candidate for the African Chess Confederation, Mr. Bernard Wanjala, asked me to come to the lobby of the Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa and handed me an envelope containing 1,500 Dollars… Due to the fact that this occurred on the eve of an elective general assembly, I considered it to be a bribe. In good faith, I reject the attempted corruption, return the 1,500 Dollars to the competent authority, and request the disqualification of Mr. Bernard Wanjala or a similar appropriate action.

WIM Tshepiso Lopang served as ACC Vice President from 2018. Arkady Dvorkovich addressed the ACC assembly before the vote on July 27, 2026, having already resigned as FIDE President.