Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, has formally filed his nomination to contest for the party’s National Chairmanship, promising to reunite, reorganise and position the party to recapture political power in 2028.
Addressing party executives, supporters and the media at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Afoko said his decision to seek a return to the position was driven by his belief that his experience and lessons from the past could help rebuild the party for the future.
He stressed, however, that filing his nomination did not guarantee his election, noting that the final decision rested with delegates.
“I have formally submitted my nomination to serve once again as National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. I do so with humility. I do so with gratitude. But above all, I do so with an abiding faith in the New Patriotic Party and in its capacity to rise again,” he said.
Afoko said he had spent the past several months engaging party members at various levels and listening to their concerns, frustrations and expectations.
According to him, a common message emerged from those engagements: the NPP wants to come together again.
He said party members wanted a more disciplined, organised and inclusive NPP, with greater attention given to the grassroots beyond election periods.
“They want an NPP capable of returning to government in 2028,” Afoko said.
He therefore outlined a three-point agenda for his campaign — Reunite, Reorganise and Recapture.
Reuniting the NPP
Afoko acknowledged that internal contests and disagreements had left some members hurt and created divisions within the party.
He said the NPP could not afford to remain divided into camps based on which candidates members supported during previous internal elections.
“There cannot be one NPP for those who supported Candidate A and another NPP for those who supported Candidate B,” he said.
“There cannot be an NPP of the powerful and another NPP for the forgotten grassroots member. There is only one New Patriotic Party.”
Afoko pledged that, if elected, he would not use the chairmanship to punish perceived opponents or reward a particular faction.
“I will come into office with no enemies to punish, no scores to settle and no faction to reward at the expense of another,” he stated.
The former chairman said he had experienced difficult moments within the party but had chosen not to allow past disagreements to define his future leadership.
“I return without bitterness. I return without rancour,” he said, adding that the party was bigger than any individual.
He also extended a message of unity to his fellow contestants, insisting that they were not enemies despite competing for the same position.
“We may compete for a position, but when this election is over, we must still belong to the same family and fight together for the same victory,” he said.
Reorganisation from the grassroots
Afoko said the NPP’s strength must be rebuilt from the grassroots, arguing that the party’s organisational structure should begin at the polling station and grow through the electoral area and constituency to the regional and national levels.
“The strength of the NPP does not begin at the national headquarters. It begins at the polling station,” he said.
He called for greater empowerment and recognition for Polling Station Executives, Electoral Area Coordinators and Constituency Officers.
Afoko also proposed strengthening the party’s communications machinery and making its electoral systems more scientific and data-driven.
He said the party’s Tertiary Students Confederacy, TESCON, should once again become a strong platform for grooming future NPP leaders, while women and young people should be placed at the centre of the party’s organisation.
“We must not only bring back those who have left us. We must give a new generation of Ghanaians a reason to join us,” he said.
Afoko further promised that the party’s national headquarters would serve the grassroots rather than operate as an institution removed from their concerns.
“You cannot be important only during election campaigns. You are the Party,” he told grassroots members.
Focus on recapturing power
The former NPP chairman said the party’s ultimate objective was to return to government in 2028.
He argued that the process of winning the next general election could not wait until the election year, stressing that an effective political organisation had to be built immediately.
“Our journey back to government in 2028 does not begin in December 2028. It begins now,” Afoko said.
He said the party must choose unity over division, organisation over complacency, discipline over disorder and grassroots empowerment over centralisation.
“The NPP cannot wait until 2028 to become an election-winning machine. We must build that machine today,” he added.
Pledge to work with Bawumia
Afoko also pledged his loyalty and support to the NPP’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, saying the party must now focus on building a united organisation behind him.
He noted that the flagbearer contest had ended and that delegates had already chosen Dr Bawumia as the party’s presidential candidate.
“Our responsibility now is clear. We must give our Presidential Candidate a united, disciplined, formidable Party capable of carrying our message into every community in Ghana,” he said.
“If you elect me National Chairman, I will work loyally and tirelessly with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to return the New Patriotic Party to government in 2028.”
Afoko said the National Chairman and presidential candidate had complementary rather than competing responsibilities.
While the flagbearer would lead the party’s national electoral campaign, he said the chairman must ensure that a strong political organisation was in place to convert the party’s message into votes.
Rejects geographical argument
Afoko also rejected suggestions that the next National Chairman should not come from northern Ghana because the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Bawumia, is from the north.
He said leadership positions should not be allocated based on geographical considerations but on competence, integrity, experience, temperament and the ability to perform.
“Our Constitution tells us that the New Patriotic Party is a national Party, structured and operated on a national basis,” he said.
“The NPP has never been a federation of geographical enclaves whose leadership positions must be shared according to latitude.”
Afoko said Dr Bawumia had been elected to lead the entire NPP and not northern Ghana, while his own ambition was to become National Chairman of the party at the national level.
“I am not seeking to become Chairman of northern Ghana. I am seeking to become National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana,” he stated.
Using the party’s elephant symbol, Afoko said every part of the party had to work together for it to move forward.
“The elephant has no northern leg and southern leg. Every leg belongs to the same elephant — and every leg must be strong if the elephant is to move forward,” he said.
“I have no slate”
Afoko also dismissed the idea that he was backing a group of candidates for other national executive positions.
“Paul Afoko has no slate,” he declared.
He said he had no preferred candidate for General Secretary, National Organiser, Treasurer, Vice Chairman or any other national position.
According to him, delegates should be free to elect candidates of their choice to work alongside whoever becomes National Chairman.
“If I trust you to choose me as National Chairman, then I must trust you to choose the men and women who will serve with me,” he said.
Afoko urged delegates to listen to all the candidates, examine their records, assess their character and competence and vote according to their conscience.
“I do not need an Afoko team at national headquarters. I need an NPP team,” he said.
He added that he would work with all national executives elected by the delegates, regardless of whether they supported his campaign.
“I offer experience for the future”
Reflecting on his previous tenure as National Chairman, Afoko said his record was open to scrutiny.
He said his previous leadership sought to strengthen party constituencies, ensure resources reached the grassroots, promote credible internal elections and encourage discipline and responsible management of party resources.
However, he said his campaign was not based solely on his past achievements.
“I have learned from my successes. I have learned from my difficulties. I have learned from my mistakes. And I have learned from experience,” he said.
“I ask you to elect me because what I learnt yesterday can help us win tomorrow.”
Afoko concluded by presenting what he described as a contract with the delegates, promising to serve every member of the NPP if elected.
“I will not be Chairman for one faction. I will not be Chairman for one candidate. I will not be Chairman for one region. I will not be Chairman for one generation. I will be Chairman for every member of the New Patriotic Party,” he said.
He called on party members to put aside internal divisions, strengthen the grassroots, support Dr Bawumia and work collectively towards victory in 2028.
“No Afoko faction. No regional faction. No candidate’s faction,” he declared.
“One Party. One family. One purpose. One united NPP.”
Afoko ended his address by calling on delegates to support his bid to lead the party once again under his campaign message: “Reunite the Party. Reorganise the Party. Recapture power in 2028.”
