BY Grace Zigah
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman, Paul Afoko, has intensified efforts to reposition himself within the opposition party as he embarks on a fresh round of consultations with influential party stalwarts ahead of the NPP’s upcoming National Delegates Conference where he is eyeing the chairmanship slot.
The high-level engagements, which party insiders describe as strategic reconciliation and consensus-building meetings, have seen Afoko hold discussions with some of the most powerful figures in the NPP, including former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, and former Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.
The latest consultations form part of what sources close to Afoko describe as the “second phase” of his nationwide political outreach campaign as he seeks to rally support for his ambition to return as National Chairman of the NPP.
Afoko, who served briefly as National Chairman of the party between 2014 and 2015 before internal disputes led to his suspension, is campaigning on what he calls the “3R Agenda” — Reunite, Rebuild and Recapture — a political message aimed at restoring cohesion within the party and preparing the NPP for a comeback in the 2028 general elections following its defeat in the 2024 polls.
According to persons familiar with the meetings, the former chairman believes the party must move beyond entrenched divisions and internal hostility that emerged after the electoral loss.
His consultations are therefore intended to seek counsel from experienced party leaders while also building bridges across the various factions within the NPP.
Before the NPP presidential primary held on January 31, 2026, Afoko had already initiated similar engagements with all five presidential aspirants.
Those discussions involved Dr Bawumia, Bryan Acheampong, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Yaw Osei Adutwum, and Kennedy Agyapong, with the stated objective of promoting party unity before and after the internal contest.
Sources within Afoko’s camp insist the renewed consultations are not merely symbolic visits but part of a broader attempt to “heal wounds” within the party hierarchy and reconnect with influential decision-makers whose support could shape the direction of the NPP in the coming years.
One member of his campaign team reportedly remarked that rebuilding the NPP would require the inclusion of those who had previously led and shaped the party’s fortunes.
“You cannot rebuild a house by ignoring the architects,” the source stated, explaining that Afoko considers the experience and institutional memory of the party’s senior figures crucial to any future rebuilding process.
The meetings with Dr Bawumia and former President Akufo-Addo are particularly significant because both men continue to wield considerable influence within the NPP despite the party’s electoral setback.
The engagement with former President Kufuor is also being interpreted as an appeal to the party’s traditional roots and founding ideals under the Fourth Republic.
Although details of the discussions have largely been kept private, insiders say Afoko used the engagements to call for calm within the party and urged members to avoid blame games over the NPP’s 2024 electoral defeat.
He is also said to have reiterated his position that the party should prioritise competence, leadership capacity and grassroots mobilisation over ethnic considerations in electing its next National Chairman.
The consultative tour follows earlier meetings Afoko held with the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders and regional executives of the party in Kumasi shortly after formally declaring his intention to contest the chairmanship race.
Party insiders say the former chairman’s recent activities suggest a deliberate attempt to rebuild relationships that were damaged during years of internal tensions while also testing the strength of his support base ahead of the delegates’ conference.
