Buea: The St. Anthony’s Parish Buea was filled to capacity as mourners gathered for the requiem mass of HRH Hon. Justice Barrister Ayah Paul Abine on February 14, 2025. Among the attendees were a few members of the Popular Action Party (PAP), identifiable by their party materials, paying tribute to Ayah Paul, who founded PAP after his departure from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).

According to Cameroon News Agency, Justice Ayah Paul retired in 2017 as the deputy Attorney General at the Supreme Court in Yaounde. Notably absent at the farewell were high-ranking state protocol officials or judges, with the majority of attendees being lawyers, reflecting his recent induction into the Bar Council in 2019. Eulogized as ‘the incorruptible judge,’ Ayah Paul was remembered for his unwavering commitment to justice and his strong Catholic faith that shaped his family values.

Born in Ngali-Akwaya in 1950, Ayah Paul’s journey almost led him to the corridors of Cameroon’s Supreme Magistracy. In t
he 2011 presidential elections, he emerged fifth. Disillusioned with CPDM, Ayah Paul founded the PAP and served two terms as a member of Parliament, often dissenting from party stands he deemed inappropriate.

In his writings, Ayah Paul expressed his dedication to justice, lamenting the loneliness that accompanied his knowledge of the law. His political journey spanned over two decades, intertwined with a rich career in Magistracy that began in 1978. Arrested in 2017 amidst socio-political conflict in the North West and South West, he faced a forced retirement and was denied his pension.

Tributes poured in, with journalist and social critic Mwalimu McMua noting the hardships Ayah Paul faced, highlighting the blockage of his bank accounts and the denial of his savings. Despite these struggles, Ayah’s legacy as a high-ranking Anglophone judge endures.

Justice Ayah Paul’s remains will be interred with his ancestors in Akwaya, Manyu Division of the South West, concluding his tenure as paramount ruler of Akwaya,
a position he was elected to in 2010.