NPP will spend only 2 years in opposition if I’m elected Chairman – Afoko

Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awentami Paul Afoko, has pledged to prioritise party unity and grassroots reorganisation as he campaigns to return to the position of National Chairman.

Speaking to delegates in the Western, Central and Eastern Regions as part of his campaign tour, Mr Afoko expressed confidence that the NPP could return to government in 2028 if the party resolves its internal divisions and rebuilds its organisational structures.

He told constituency executives that, if elected National Chairman, he believed the party would spend only two years in opposition before returning to power.

I do not have a magic wand, but I can assure you that if we close our ranks and rally behind me to become the National Chairman, we have only two years to stay in opposition, and then power will be ours,” he said.

Mr Afoko has anchored his campaign on what he describes as the 3Rs — Reunite, Rebuild and Recapture — with party unity forming a central part of his message to delegates. His campaign platform has also focused on strengthening grassroots structures and preparing the NPP for the 2028 general election.

Mr Afoko said the NPP must overcome internal divisions and restore cohesion if it is to mount an effective campaign for the next general election.

“We have all the ingredients for victory. What we lack is unity. My message to every constituency, every region, is simple: set aside our differences, reunite as one family, and rebuild the structures that have made us formidable in the past,” he said.

He has previously said he intends to lead an inclusive administration that serves all members of the party, regardless of faction, region or which candidate they supported in previous internal contests.

On rebuilding the party, Mr Afoko pledged to strengthen grassroots organisation, improve constituency and polling-station structures, and restore confidence among supporters he believes have felt neglected in recent years.

He said the proposed reforms would be aimed at creating a stronger organisational base ahead of the 2028 elections.

Mr Afoko has previously argued that the NPP's return to government must begin immediately rather than shortly before the next general election.

“Our journey back to government in 2028 does not begin in December 2028. It begins now,” he said after filing his nomination in August.

Mr Afoko is among five candidates contesting the NPP National Chairmanship position. The other candidates are former General Secretary John Boadu, former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, former Second Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe and Bernard Antwi Boasiako.

The NPP has scheduled its national executive elections for October 3, 2026, in the Ashanti Region. Mr Afoko is listed third on the ballot paper for the National Chairmanship contest, behind John Boadu and Sammy Crabbe, with Boakye Agyarko occupying the fourth position.

Mr Afoko, who previously served as NPP National Chairman from 2014 to 2015, formally filed his nomination in August and has since continued engagements with delegates across the country as he seeks their support ahead of the October 3 contest.