In a strongly worded op-ed published on June 26, 2026, political activist Joe La Conscience takes direct aim at Paul Biya. He paints a picture of 43 years of chaotic governance, shrinking public freedoms, and a plan for a dynastic handover of power. Accusing Biya of preparing a family succession is one thing. But coining the term ‘dynastocracy’ — that is something new.
43 years in power and a shattered record
Joe La Conscience begins at the foundations. According to him, Paul Biya’s rise to power in 1982 was a historic mistake by his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo. What was meant to be a transitional term turned, in his view, into a personal reign spanning more than four decades.
The op-ed paints a grim economic picture, describes governance as tribal, and highlights a steady erosion of public liberties. These are heavy accusations, made without citing official sources — a point worth noting. They represent the author’s interpretations, not findings from an investigative report. But the tone is unmistakably that of a prosecutor.
The vice-presidency and the spectre of a family succession
This is where the op-ed takes a sharper, more polemical turn. Joe La Conscience points to recent constitutional reforms, especially the creation of a vice-president role, as a possible succession mechanism orchestrated from the top. He forges the term ‘dynastocracy’ to describe what he sees as an intention to pass power within the presidential family circle.
He also mentions alleged rivalries among figures in the presidential entourage and succession scenarios. None of these elements are backed by official confirmation, and the author himself presents them as hypotheses. That does not make them any less revealing of a debate that is intensifying, even in circles that do not identify with the radical opposition.
The question of the president’s health, the uncertainties about the post-Biya era, the tensions around a potential transition — Joe La Conscience is not inventing these. He is putting them into words, with his own conclusions.
This is a turn that Cameroonian political debate is taking, whether institutions acknowledge it or not.
