Paul Afoko, a candidate for the position of National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has started a second round of high-level meetings with important party figures.
He met with former Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, and former Vice President and 2024 flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
In an attempt to promote unity within the party, Mr. Afoko previously met with all five presidential candidates prior to the January 31, 2026, primaries, including Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Ing Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, and Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
The most recent set of discussions, according to people close to Afoko, is part of larger stakeholder engagements ahead of the NPP’s next National Delegates Conference, with an emphasis on rebuilding the party after its 2024 electoral defeat.
Afoko, who was the National Chairman of the NPP from 2014 to 2015, is pushing his “3R Agenda”, Reunite, Rebuild, Recapture, as the main strategy for getting the party back into power in 2028.
According to a member of his staff, the purpose of the consultations is to enhance internal consensus and draw from the experience of previous presidents.
“You cannot rebuild a house by ignoring the architects,” the source said. “He’s meeting the people who have led this party at the highest level. Their wisdom matters.”
The engagement with former President Kufuor, the NPP’s first president in the Fourth Republic, is seen as an attempt to strengthen institutional memory and unity, while the meetings with Dr. Bawumia and former President Akufo-Addo are considered especially important because of their influence over the party’s direction.
According to party insiders, Afoko also emphasised the importance of avoiding internal blame games and concentrating on re-establishing unity following the 2024 failure during the discussions.
Additionally, he is said to have reaffirmed his belief that the party should choose its next National Chairman based on “competence over ethnicity.”
In keeping with Afoko’s statewide appeal to party stakeholders and kingmakers, the consultation visit comes after previous talks with the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders and Ashanti Regional Executives in Kumasi.
Party sources claim that as the opposition party gets ready for its next round of internal reorganisation, the most recent engagements are seen as an attempt to “test the waters and mend fences.”
Source: newsthemegh.com