Afoko: I’ll Work With Bawumia … To Win 2028

Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Awentami Afoko, has pledged to work with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the party’s flagbeaerer, to reunite and reorganise the party and to position it for a return to power in 2028.

Mr Afoko made the pledge yesterday when he submitted his nomination forms to contest the NPP National Chairmanship election at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down, in Accra.

Launching his campaign around the theme – “Reunite, Reorganise, Recapture” – Mr Afoko said the party needed to heal from internal divisions, strengthen its structures and restore confidence among its members, ahead of the 2028 general election.

He said his decision to once again seek the chairmanship of the party followed months of consultations with party elders, regional and constituency executives, polling station officers, communicators, women, youth, Members of Parliament, former executives and ordinary party members.

According to him, those engagements had revealed a common desire among members for a united and better-organised NPP.

“The NPP wants to come together again,” he said, adding that members want a party in which “everyone feels that they belong.”

Mr Afoko said the party had experienced difficult internal contests that had created divisions and strained relationships among members.

He pledged that, if elected, he would not use the chairmanship to settle old scores or reward one faction at the expense of another.

“I will come into office with no enemies to punish, no scores to settle and no faction to reward at the expense of another,” he said.

Grassroots first

Mr Afoko said rebuilding the NPP must begin from the polling station level, arguing that the strength of the party depends on an effective grassroots organisation.

He promised to empower constituencies, strengthen the party’s communications machinery and improve its electoral systems through greater use of data.

He also pledged to strengthen the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON), increase the participation of women and create greater opportunities for young people within the party.

“The people at the grassroots must feel the presence of their Party, not only when we need their votes, but throughout the political cycle,” he said.

Mr Afoko said the NPP could not wait until 2028 before beginning its preparations for the election, stressing that the organisational machinery needed to win power had to be built now.

He said the party must also give disappointed members reasons to return while attracting a new generation of Ghanaians.

“We must not only bring back those who have left us. We must give a new generation of Ghanaians a reason to join us,” he said.

Backs Bawumia

Mr Afoko also pledged to work with the NPP’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to return the party to government in 2028.

He said the presidential primary that produced Dr Bawumia was over and that the party’s focus should now shift towards building a united organisation behind him.

“If you elect me as National Chairman, I will work loyally and tirelessly with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to return the New Patriotic Party to government in 2028,” he said.

He described the roles of the National Chairman and presidential candidate as complementary, saying the flagbearer would lead the party’s national electoral proposition while the chairman would be responsible for building the organisational structure required to translate that proposition into votes.

Rejects geographical argument

Mr Afoko also rejected the argument that Dr Bawumia’s northern background should influence delegates against electing another northerner as National Chairman.

He urged delegates to judge candidates based on competence, integrity, experience and temperament, rather than geographical considerations.

“The NPP has never been a federation of geographical enclaves whose leadership positions must be shared according to latitude,” he said.

He stressed that Dr Bawumia had been elected to lead the NPP and not to represent northern Ghana, while he himself was seeking to lead the entire party.

“I am not seeking to become Chairman of northern Ghana. I am seeking to become National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana,” he said.

Mr Afoko further declared that he would not endorse candidates for the other national executive positions. He said he had no preferred candidate for General Secretary, National Organiser, Treasurer, Vice Chairman or any other national position.

“If I trust you to choose me as National Chairman, then I must trust you to choose the men and women who will serve with me,” he said, adding “I do not need an Afoko team at national headquarters. I need an NPP team.”

He urged delegates to examine the records, character and competence of all candidates before voting.

Experience

Mr Afoko, who previously served as National Chairman, said his experience in the position had equipped him with lessons that could help the party prepare for the next election.

He said he had learnt from both his successes and difficulties and was returning to the contest with a focus on the future.

“I ask you to elect me because what I learnt yesterday can help us win tomorrow,” he said.

Mr Afoko also appealed to Ghanaians outside the NPP, saying the party understood that opposition did not automatically entitle it to return to government.

He said the NPP must first demonstrate that it could put its own house in order, renew itself and present a credible alternative to the electorate.

He, therefore, urged delegates to support his bid to build what he described as “one united NPP” capable of regaining power in 2028.

 

 

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