Biya @ 41 in power: Succession still a mystery.

Constitutionally, in the event of a vacancy at the helm of State, due to death, resignation or permanent incapacity declared by the Constitutional Council, the President of the Senate, Marcel Niat Njifenji, shall take over as Interim Head of State.

He must then organise election for the new Head of State imperatively within a period of one hundred and twenty days.

But why is it that the debate about President Biya's succession is so intense to the point of attracting such headlines as "clan wars to succeed Biya", "Cameroon after Biya" etc?

At 91 next February, and a record 41 years in office at an era term-limits have a maximum of 10 years in office, in civilised countries, many think it is time for President Biya to have a deserved leave.

It is apparently because of that concern in good faith that questions and debates spike about his succession and infighting in silence.

When visiting French President, Emmanuel Macron, held a joint press conference with President Biya, at the Unity Palace, last year, the succession question was posed to him.

Noted for a consummate knack of discretion and enigma, he said his mandate runs till 2025, when he will take a decision.

“The mandate that I am leading has a duration of seven years. When this mandate expires, you will be informed if I will stay or go to the village," Biya had said in answer to a question from an inquisitive journalist. 

Some acolytes fear evoking the aftermath is considered a crime of lèse-majesté. A moral betrayal. "A political fault, above all".

That may explain why even recently, some CPDM supporters have been strategising, more for self-preservation of jobs or other trappings than for the interest of the president or national interest, calling on him to take a scandalous eight term in 2025.

The Guardian Post doesn't intend to ruin the champagne buzz of today's celebration of the 41st anniversary of President Paul Biya in power. 

The truth, bitter as it may sound, is that he deserves a
befitting retirement in 2025 or why not before then?
William Shakespeare advised that actors, be they in politics or theatre, should "bow out when the applause is loudest".   

To get that encomium, President Biya is known to have said: "We will have to strive to achieve a growth rate of 8%, by carrying out a structural transformation of our economy and improving the efficiency of public spending. Thus, we will keep all the chances of achieving emergence by 2035".

But that ambitious programme, which should be his economic legacy, cannot succeed without the fight against corruption which he once classified as a "war".

To his credit and magnanimity, he has been ruthless with corrupt officials, allowing the sword of justice to slash any one guilty of embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds.

However, the failure to promulgate a law to ensure the declaration of assets as stipulated in Article 66 of the constitution, remains a stain in his regime.

At the international stage, Biya has to some extent maintained a diplomacy of neutrality, veering off from French dominance in the economy to involve partners like China, Russia, United States and Britain, even if it has been to the chagrin of France, which still uses the FCFA to exert some influence.

To some extent, Paul Biya in 41 years, despite the daunting challenges which range from COVID-19 pandemic to the influx of refugees from Nigeria and Central African Republic in the East, North and Far North Regions, to the bloody conflicts in the North West, South West and Far North Regions, has succeeded where many in his position would have caved in.

Nonetheless, the Biya regime at the moment is not having the loudest ovation of his 41 years in office. His regime is facing daunting challenges with Boko Haram menacing in the Far North Region, soaring cost of living and scarcity of basic commodities and unemployment. Above all, separatist hawks have been threatening to tear the country apart for the past six years and counting.
In that scenario, though he never uses his anniversaries to make speeches, The Guardian Post urges him to exceptionally use today’s celebration to offer clemency and amnesty to those in jail or detained in connection to the Anglophone conflict, declare a ceasefire and follow it with an announcement for an exclusive dialogue with no holds barred.

He will have the loudest ovation of his presidency if he takes to our advice. And why not blend it with an announcement of an early presidential election to decipher the succession mystery rather than waiting till 2025 to decide whether to go on retirement to the village or seek another mandate?