Joe la Conscience accuses Paul Biya of plotting a dynastic succession in Cameroon

In a column published on June 26, 2026, political activist Joe La Conscience directly takes aim at Paul Biya. He paints a picture of 43 years of chaotic governance, declining public freedoms, and a plan for a dynastic transfer of power. Accusing Biya of preparing a family succession is one thing, but the word “dynastocracy” — that is new.

43 years in power: a record in tatters

Joe La Conscience starts at the foundations. According to him, Paul Biya’s accession to power in 1982 was a historical mistake by his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo. What was meant to be a transitional mandate turned, in his view, into a personal reign spanning over four decades.

The column paints a grim economic picture, a governance described as tribal, and a gradual erosion of public freedoms. These are serious accusations, made without official sources — something worth noting. They are the author’s interpretations, not the conclusions of an investigative report. But the tone is that of an indictment.

Vice-presidency and the spectre of a family handover

This is where the column takes a sharper and more controversial angle. Joe La Conscience points to recent constitutional reforms, particularly the introduction of the vice-president role, as a possible succession mechanism orchestrated from the top. He coins the term “dynastocracy” to describe what he sees as an intent to pass power within the presidential family circle.

He also mentions supposed rivalries among figures in the president’s inner circle and succession scenarios. None of these elements are backed by official confirmation, and the author himself presents them as hypotheses. Still, they reveal a debate that is intensifying, even among circles not associated with the radical opposition.

The question of the president’s health, uncertainties about the post-Biya era, and tensions around a potential transition: Joe La Conscience does not invent them. He puts them into words, with his own conclusions.

This is a shift the Cameroonian political debate is undergoing, whether the institutions recognize it or not.