Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, Paul Awentami Afoko, has called on the party to safeguard its traditions of internal renewal and unity, warning that rushing into presidential primaries in January 2026 could fracture the process.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Starr FM, Mr Afoko said the NPP’s strength has always been rooted in its grassroots structures, beginning with polling station reorganisation and gradually building through constituency, regional, and national levels before the flagbearer contest.
“Normally this party goes through a renewal cycle every four years, starting from the polling stations all the way up,” he explained. “After the national executive is in place, then you have presidential primaries. Skipping that order is a mistake.”
Afoko stressed that his concerns were not tied to any personal interest in who becomes the NPP’s flagbearer. “I wish them well, but I don’t have a favourite,” he said, noting that his appeal was about preserving the party’s institutional culture.
The comments mark Afoko’s second major public intervention in recent weeks after nearly a decade of silence on NPP affairs. Once suspended as chairman in 2015 following sharp disputes with the party’s leadership, he has recently welcomed what he described as a “general amnesty” for estranged members but criticised restrictions that prevent them from contesting internal elections for two years.
Party analysts say Afoko’s renewed voice reflects broader concerns about whether the NPP can balance reconciliation with discipline as it heads into the 2026 election cycle. Some argue that ignoring grassroots renewal risks deepening fractures, while others insist that early primaries are necessary to give the chosen flagbearer enough time to unify the base and prepare for a national campaign.
For Afoko, however, the warning is clear: unity will depend on respecting established traditions and ensuring that every level of the party feels part of the process.
