NPP National Council throws out petition against Afoko

The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has rejected a petition seeking to prevent former National Chairman, Paul Awentami Afoko, from contesting the party’s upcoming National Chairmanship election, effectively clearing the way for his return bid ahead of the party’s National Delegates Conference later this year.

The decision, taken unanimously at a meeting of the National Council on Thursday, June 25, 2026, represents a significant development in the race for one of the party’s most influential positions as the NPP intensifies preparations to reorganise following its defeat in the 2024 general elections.

According to sources familiar with the meeting, the petition was tabled before the Council after being presented by the Chairman of the NPP Council of Elders.

Although the identity of the petitioner or petitioners has not been disclosed publicly, and the specific grounds for the request were not revealed, members of the Council reportedly dismissed the petition after extensive deliberations.

Speaker after speaker is said to have opposed attempts to block Afoko from contesting, with senior national and regional executives reportedly insisting that every qualified member should be allowed to exercise his constitutional right to seek office through the democratic processes of the party.

Party insiders further disclosed that members of the NPP’s legal team, together with several senior figures present at the meeting, argued against the petition, maintaining that there were no valid grounds to disqualify the former National Chairman from participating in the contest.

The decision comes at a crucial period for the opposition party as it prepares to open nominations, filing and vetting for national executive positions ahead of its National Delegates Conference scheduled for September 2026.

The development is expected to reshape the contest for the National Chairman position, with Afoko emerging as one of the prominent aspirants seeking to lead the party’s restructuring efforts after the 2024 electoral defeat.

Political observers within the NPP believe the petition surfaced shortly after Afoko officially declared his intention to return as National Chairman. While no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the petition, some party members have suggested it may have been an attempt to halt his campaign before the contest officially begins. Those claims, however, have not been independently verified.

Background

Paul Awentami Afoko previously served as National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party before his suspension in 2015 following internal disagreements that culminated in one of the party’s most turbulent leadership crises.

The suspension remained one of the defining moments in the party’s internal politics, with divisions lingering for several years despite the NPP subsequently returning to power in 2016 under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Since announcing his comeback, Afoko has centred his campaign on what he describes as the “3Rs Agenda” — Reunite, Rebuild and Recapture. He has argued that the party’s immediate priority should be healing internal divisions, restoring confidence among grassroots members and rebuilding organisational structures capable of returning the NPP to power in the 2028 general election.

Over the past few months, the former chairman has embarked on extensive tours across the country, meeting constituency executives, polling station officers, patrons, elders and party faithful.

During these engagements, he has consistently appealed for reconciliation among competing factions that emerged after the party’s loss in the 2024 elections.

Afoko has also pledged to strengthen the role of polling station executives, constituency officers and grassroots activists by improving their welfare, enhancing logistics support and giving them greater participation in key party decisions.

According to him, the success of the NPP in future elections will depend largely on rebuilding trust among its rank-and-file membership and ensuring that every level of the party structure feels valued and included in the decision-making process.

The National Council’s decision to reject the petition is widely expected to intensify competition for the National Chairman position, with attention now shifting to the official nomination and vetting processes that will determine the final list of candidates seeking to lead the party into the 2028 electoral cycle.

Nana Prekoh Eric

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