Afoko meets Bawumia, Akufo-Addo, Kufuor ahead of National Chairmanship bid

The New Patriotic Party's (NPP) National Chairman hopeful, Paul Afoko, has initiated a second round of high-level consultations with key party figures.

This move is part of his efforts to secure the national chairman position. Notably, he met with prominent party members, including former Vice President and 2024 flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, and former Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

These consultations follow his previous meetings with the five presidential aspirants before the January 31, 2026, primaries, namely Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, and Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, aimed at fostering party unity.

Sources close to Afoko indicate that these meetings are part of broader stakeholder engagements leading up to the NPP's upcoming National Delegates Conference, with a focus on rebuilding the party after its 2024 electoral defeat.

Afoko, who previously served as NPP National Chairman from 2014 to 2015, is promoting his "3R Agenda" - Reunite, Rebuild, Recapture - as the central strategy for the party's return to power in 2028.

According to a team member, the consultations are designed to tap into the experience of past leaders and strengthen internal consensus.

"You cannot rebuild a house by ignoring the architects," the source noted.

"He is meeting with individuals who have led this party at the highest level. Their wisdom is crucial."

The meetings with Dr. Bawumia and former President Akufo-Addo are seen as particularly significant given their influence over the party's direction, while the engagement with former President Kufuor, the NPP's first president in the Fourth Republic, is being interpreted as a push to reinforce institutional memory and unity.

Party insiders say Afoko also used the engagements to stress the need to avoid internal blame games and focus on rebuilding cohesion after the 2024 defeat.

He is also reported to have reiterated his position that the party must prioritise “competence over ethnicity” in selecting its next National Chairman.

The consultative tour follows earlier meetings with the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders and Ashanti Regional Executives in Kumasi, as Afoko continues a nationwide outreach to party stakeholders and kingmakers.

According to party sources, the latest engagements are being viewed as part of an effort to “test the waters and mend fences” within the opposition party as it prepares for its next phase of internal reorganisation.