Viral posts online and publications by some media portals (Arise TV Nigeria, Citizen Tanzania and GhanaWeb) claimed that Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, appointed his son, Franck, as new Vice President on April 4, 2026; the same day the Central African country’s Parliament voted to restore the position of Vice President, a post that was scrapped in 1972.
The viral claims cited a supposed decree signed by President Biya which appointed Franck to three separate roles – Vice President, Head of the Armed Forces and Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Defence.
FactSpace West Africa found that the claim was False and the supposed decree was fake.
- The Vice President Bill has yet to be signed into law after passage, so an appointment to the role is impractical.
- There is no publication of a decree appointing neither Franck nor anyone as Vice President – at least per checks on the presidential and government social media pages.
- No Cameroonian or international news website has reported about this appointment – because it is nonexistent.
- Credible news outlets and Cameroonian activists on X have roundly dismissed the viral news as fake.
You can read details of our report via this link: “FACT-CHECK: Cameroon president did not appoint his son as Vice President“
