New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman hopeful Awentami Paul Afoko has begun a second phase of high-level consultations with leading figures in the party, 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.
Prior to the NPP presidential primaries held on January 31, 2026, Mr Afoko had also engaged all five aspirants, including Dr Bryan Acheampong, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong and Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, as part of efforts to promote unity within the party.
Sources close to Mr Afoko say the courtesy calls and stakeholder engagements form part of a broader nationwide consultation ahead of the NPP’s upcoming National Delegates Conference.
Mr Afoko, who served as NPP National Chairman from 2014 to 2015, is campaigning on a “3R Agenda” — Reunite, Rebuild and Recapture — which he says is aimed at returning the party to power in 2028.
According to his team, the meetings are intended to draw on the experience of senior party figures, listen to concerns and build consensus following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.
“You cannot rebuild a house by ignoring the architects,” a member of Mr Afoko’s team told reporters.
“He’s meeting the people who have led this party at the highest level. Their wisdom matters,” the source added.
The meetings with Dr Bawumia and former President Akufo-Addo are said to be particularly significant due to their influence within the party, while the engagement with former President Kufuor is viewed as part of efforts to promote institutional memory and party unity.
Sources say Mr Afoko used the engagements to stress the need for party unity and cautioned against internal blame games.
He is also reported to have reiterated his call for the NPP to prioritise “competence over ethnicity” in electing its next National Chairman.
The consultations follow earlier meetings with the Ashanti Regional Council of Elders and Ashanti Regional Executives in Kumasi.
Since officially declaring his intention to contest for the position, Mr Afoko has embarked on a nationwide outreach programme to engage party stakeholders and opinion leaders.
Party insiders say the meetings indicate he is “testing the waters and mending fences” ahead of the internal contest.
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