A national chairman aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, says he has forgiven those involved in his suspension from the party, although he admitted that he was angry when the decision was taken.
Paul Afoko was suspended as National Chairman of the NPP in October 2015, about a year after he was elected to the position in 2014.
The NPP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) suspended him indefinitely after receiving a recommendation from the party’s Disciplinary Committee following petitions filed against him by some party members.
Speaking during the formal announcement of his bid and the unveiling of his vision for the NPP on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Mr. Afoko said his focus is now on helping the party recover from its current challenges rather than dwelling on past grievances.
Reflecting on his suspension, Mr. Afoko said he initially felt hurt because he believed a mandate given to him by party members had been taken away.
“I wouldn’t lie that I wasn’t angry at some point. I was. At the time of the suspensions, yes, I was angry. Because I was angry that a mandate that had been given to me by the party was yanked away from me by a few people,” he said.
However, he said he had moved beyond the experience and no longer held resentment against those responsible.
“But that’s gone. The state of the party will not allow us to dwell on emotions. Emotions must give way to thinking, to strategic thinking, to how we can help our party to come out of this situation,” Afoko said.
“I have forgiven completely. God knows my heart. My heart is clean and clear,” he added.
Mr. Afoko blamed what he described as negative factionalism for some of the party’s internal challenges, warning that divisions could weaken the NPP’s ability to return to power.
“Anybody who sits within this party and thinks that factionalism is good for the party, and I mean the negative aspects of factionalism, that person doesn’t love NPP,” he said.
According to him, while differences in opinion exist in every political organisation, internal debates must be guided by a shared vision and respect for the party’s structures.
“I will not say factionalism doesn’t exist. You stated it. Factionalism exists even in a one-party state,” Afoko said, adding that factions should be used to generate ideas rather than destroy the party.
He argued that healthy disagreements could help the party develop stronger policies and strategies.
“Let’s have healthy debate within our party. That is where we distill ideas and come out with something wonderful,” he said.
Mr. Afoko said the NPP’s current position after losing parliamentary seats in recent elections should compel members to prioritise unity over personal differences.
“We came from 169 seats to 137 to 87. Is this a wonderful place to be for the NPP? It cannot be,” he said.
He urged party members to put aside bitterness and work collectively to rebuild the NPP.
“As a party, let’s be true to ourselves. Let’s be truthful and speak to each other with love and understanding that we want to bring ourselves out of this hole in which we are,” Afoko said.
He added: “I’m ready to serve. There’s no more bitterness. There’s no more anger.”
