Afoko promises ‘no more bitterness’ as he targets NPP chairmanship

Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman Awentami Paul Afoko says he has forgiven the people who supported his suspension and is ready to help rebuild the opposition party.

Speaking on the Ghanakoma morning show on Akoma 87.9fm in Kumasi with Sir John on Thursday, 6 August 2026, Mr Afoko acknowledged that he was angered when the party removed him from office.

Mr Afoko was suspended as National Chairman of the NPP in October 2015, about a year after he had been elected to the position in 2014.

The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) imposed the indefinite suspension after receiving a recommendation from its Disciplinary Committee. The recommendation followed petitions submitted by some party members.

Mr Afoko is now seeking to become the party’s national chairman again. He told Sir John that his focus was no longer on the events surrounding his suspension, but on helping the NPP overcome its current difficulties.

Looking back on the decision, he said he had initially been hurt because he believed a mandate entrusted to him by party members had been taken away.

“I wouldn’t lie that I wasn’t angry at some point. I was. At the time of the suspensions, yes, I was angry. Because I was angry that a mandate that had been given to me by the party was taken away from me by a few people,” he revealed.

However, Mr Afoko said the passage of time and the party’s present circumstances had changed his outlook. He said the NPP could not afford to remain consumed by personal grievances.

“But that’s gone. The state of the party will not allow us to dwell on emotions. Emotions must give way to thinking, to strategic thinking, to how we can help our party to come out of this situation,” Afoko stated.

“I have forgiven completely. God knows my heart. My heart is clean and clear,” he continued.

Afoko warns against factionalism

Mr Afoko also criticised what he described as negative factionalism within the NPP, warning that entrenched divisions could damage the party’s prospects of returning to power.

“Anybody who sits within this party and thinks that factionalism is good for the party, and I mean the negative aspects of factionalism, that person doesn’t love NPP,” he told Sir John.

He accepted that disagreements and competing viewpoints were inevitable in political organisations, but said such differences had to be managed within the party’s structures and guided by a common purpose.

“I will not say factionalism doesn’t exist. You stated it. Factionalism exists even in a one-party state,” Afoko said.

He argued that factions should provide a platform for developing ideas instead of becoming vehicles for undermining the organisation.

“Let’s have healthy debate within our party. That is where we distill ideas and come out with something wonderful,” he stated.

Mr Afoko said he was unhappy with the NPP’s current situation, particularly its decline in parliamentary representation after recent elections.

He said that record should serve as a warning to members and encourage them to place unity ahead of personal disputes.

“We came from 169 seats to 137 to 87. Is this a wonderful place to be for the NPP? It cannot be,” he stressed.

He called on party members to set aside resentment and work together to restore the NPP’s strength.

“As a party, let’s be true to ourselves. Let’s be truthful and speak to each other with love and understanding that we want to bring ourselves out of this hole in which we are,” Afoko stated.

He added: “I’m ready to serve. There’s no more bitterness. There’s no more anger.”

Mr Afoko said the NPP needed to reunite and rebuild its organisational strength if it was to regain political power.

By Benjamin Aidoo