Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Awentami Afoko, has urged members of the party to put past grievances behind them and concentrate on rebuilding a united front capable of returning the party to power in the 2028 general elections.
Addressing separate meetings with Regional Executives, Councils of Elders and Patrons of the party in the Western North, Ahafo, Bono and Bono East regions, Mr. Afoko said the NPP must resist attempts to dwell on old disputes and instead focus on strengthening its grassroots structures and reconnecting with the electorate.
The meetings formed part of his nationwide consultative engagements aimed at gathering views from party stakeholders and promoting his ‘3R’ agenda of Reuniting, Rebuilding and Recapturing power for the NPP.
“We must build bridges to the future, not the past,” Mr. Afoko told party faithful. “If we keep looking backwards, we will miss the opportunities in front of us. The youth in this party and indeed many members do not want to hear stories about who offended who in the past, or during the 2024 elections. They want to see the party united and returned to power.”
He stressed the need for unity and effective grassroots mobilisation, describing them as critical ingredients for the party’s political recovery.
According to him, party members should refrain from rhetoric and actions that could reignite old tensions and deepen divisions within the NPP.
“For years, I chose to work quietly behind the scenes, supporting the NPP in private,” he stated. “But recent developments have compelled me to step forward. We need to get our party back into winning ways, and that starts with unity of purpose.”
Mr. Afoko said the period ahead would determine whether the NPP could move beyond internal recriminations and embrace a more mature and forward-looking political culture.
Despite the challenges facing the party, he expressed optimism that members would rally around a common objective and work together towards making former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia the next President of Ghana.
“The future will not wait for us to finish fighting the past,” he said. “Let’s build the bridges now,” he added. The Western North leg of the tour forms part of Mr. Afoko’s broader outreach campaign aimed at reconnecting with the party’s grassroots base and repositioning the NPP around a message of unity, development and inclusiveness ahead of the next electoral cycle.
