Nigeria TV Info — Cameroon’s 92-Year-Old President Paul Biya Presses Ahead With Eighth-Term Bid Amid Mounting Pressure

Yaoundé, Cameroon — Cameroon’s 92-year-old President, Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader, is pressing ahead with his bid for an eighth term in office, despite intensifying public and political calls for him to step aside after more than four decades in power.

Biya, who has ruled the Central African nation since 1982, officially declared his re-election bid in July, stating that he was responding to “numerous and insistent calls” from citizens urging him to continue leading the country.

However, this year’s election season has been overshadowed by unprecedented dissent — even from within Biya’s inner circle.

The first wave of criticism came from Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda, who said on French radio last Christmas that it was “not realistic” for Biya to keep governing at his age. Soon after, two cabinet members from Cameroon’s politically significant northern regions resigned, questioning the president’s capacity to lead.

Adding to the shock was a viral TikTok video from Biya’s 27-year-old daughter, Brenda Biya, in which she accused her father of having “made too many people suffer” and urged Cameroonians to vote him out. Although she later retracted the remarks, the clip continues to circulate widely, amplifying opposition voices online.

Despite these setbacks, Biya remains a formidable political force as the country approaches the October 12 presidential election. Analysts say his continued dominance is sustained by decades of patronage networks, control of the security forces, weak democratic institutions, and a divided opposition.

“The president has managed to enforce loyalty to him and the system,” said Arrey Ntui, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. “Very few people in the ruling system are willing to put their heads above the parapet to challenge him.”

As election day draws near, questions about Biya’s health, age, and the country’s democratic future continue to loom large — but for now, Cameroon’s long-time leader shows no signs of stepping aside.