Aspiring National Chairperson of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, has called for greater unity within the party as part of efforts to rebuild its structures and reclaim parliamentary seats lost in the Ashanti Region.
Mr Afoko said the NPP’s ability to return to power would depend largely on whether its members could put aside internal divisions and work together towards a common objective.
Speaking at a thanksgiving service for newly elected Ashanti Regional Executives at Gracefields Chapel in the Nhyiaeso Constituency, he described the region as the “heartbeat” of the NPP and urged members to restore the unity that previously characterised the party.
He expressed optimism that the NPP could recover the seven parliamentary seats it lost in the Ashanti Region during the 2024 general elections.
The NPP currently holds 40 parliamentary seats in the region, and Mr Afoko said rebuilding the party’s structures in constituencies where it suffered setbacks would be critical to restoring its electoral dominance.
“The one prerequisite of power is unity,” he said, stressing that the party must abandon discrimination and reconnect with the principles that brought its members together.
Mr Afoko said the NPP needed to revive the spirit of the United Party tradition, particularly the sense of togetherness associated with its political roots in Kumasi.
“Those days they used to call us UP tradition. We have reached that point again. We have to find our unity,” he said.
He also expressed confidence in the newly elected Ashanti Regional Chairman, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as Asanteman COKA, saying his experience in party organisation could help drive the region’s rebuilding efforts.
He said the future of the NPP in the Ashanti Region remained bright if the new regional leadership was supported to carry out its mandate.
Mr Afoko, who is contesting the NPP National Chairmanship, also dismissed a recent opinion poll that ranked him third in the race.
The Global InfoAnalytics poll released on August 20, 2026, placed former General Secretary John Boadu on 27 per cent, followed by former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko with 15 per cent and Mr Afoko with 10 per cent.
Mr Afoko said he did not attach importance to such surveys, insisting that the only poll that mattered to him was the party’s October 3 election in Kumasi.
“I don’t believe in any polls. The only poll I believe in is the October 3 poll here in Kumasi,” he said.
He said the reception his campaign message had received from delegates during his nationwide engagements gave him confidence about his chances.
Mr Afoko maintained that surveys could not accurately predict the outcome of a delegate-based election because respondents might not always disclose their true voting intentions.
He added that his decision to remain on the campaign trail demonstrated his confidence in securing victory.
“So I wouldn’t be here campaigning if I thought I was going to lose. I wouldn’t,” he said.
