Political activist Joe La Conscience has launched a sharp attack on Paul Biya, accusing him of preparing a dynastic transfer of power. Forty-three years of chaotic governance, declining public freedoms, and a plan to hand over the presidency within the family — that is the picture he paints. The accusation of a family succession plan is not new, but the term ‘dynastocratie’ is a fresh addition to the political lexicon.
43 years in power and a shattered record
Joe La Conscience begins with the foundations. Paul Biya’s rise to power in 1982 was, according to him, a historic mistake by his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo. What was supposed to be a transitional mandate turned, in his view, into a personal reign lasting more than four decades.
The article paints a grim economic picture, accuses the government of tribal governance, and notes a steady erosion of public freedoms. These are serious accusations, though they come without official sources — a fact worth noting. These are the author’s interpretations, not the findings of an investigative report. But the tone is that of a prosecutor.
The vice-presidency and the spectre of a family succession
This is where the article takes a more precise and controversial angle. Joe La Conscience points to recent constitutional reforms, particularly the creation of the vice-president role, as a possible mechanism for orchestrated succession from the top. He coins the term ‘dynastocratie’ to describe what he sees as a desire to transfer power within the presidential family.
He also mentions supposed rivalries among figures in the presidential entourage and succession scenarios. None of these claims are backed by official confirmation, and the author himself presents them as hypotheses. That does not make them any less revealing of a growing debate, including in circles that do not identify with the radical opposition.
The question of the president’s health, the uncertainties surrounding the post-Biya era, and tensions over a potential transition: Joe La Conscience does not invent them. He puts them into words, with his own conclusions.
This is a turning point that Cameroonian political debate is now taking, whether the institutions acknowledge it or not.
