Joe la Conscience accuses Biya of planning a dynastocracy in Cameroon

In a strongly worded opinion piece published on 26 June 2026, political activist Joe la Conscience directly challenges President Paul Biya. He paints a picture of 43 years of chaotic governance, eroding civil liberties, and a plan to hand power down within the family. Accusing Biya of preparing a family succession is one thing, but the term ‘dynastocracy’ is a new twist.

43 years in power and a shattered record

Joe la Conscience starts at the beginning. He argues that 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 into a personal reign spanning more than four decades, according to the activist.

The opinion piece paints a grim economic picture, describes governance as tribal, and notes a steady decline in public freedoms. These are serious accusations, but they come without official sources. They are the author’s interpretations, not the findings of an investigative report. Yet the tone is that of a prosecution.

Vice-presidency and the spectre of family succession

Here the piece takes a more specific and controversial angle. Joe la Conscience points to recent constitutional reforms, particularly the creation of a vice-president role, as a possible mechanism for a handpicked succession from the top. He coins the term ‘dynastocracy’ to describe what he sees as a plan to transfer power within the presidential family circle.

He also mentions alleged rivalries among figures in the presidential entourage and possible 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, even among circles not aligned with the radical opposition.

The question of the president’s health, the uncertainties around a post-Biya era, and tensions over a potential transition are not invented by Joe la Conscience. He puts them into words, drawing his own conclusions. This is a shift the Cameroonian political debate is undergoing, whether institutions acknowledge it or not.