Senior Lecturer Dr Kwasi Amakye‑Boateng of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has publicly endorsed former National Chairman Awentami Paul Afoko in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) upcoming chairmanship contest. Speaking on Kumasi‑based Akoma FM, the political scientist said the NPP needed a leader who could reach out to disgruntled and former members and bring them back into the fold.
Amakye‑Boateng argued that the four candidates currently contesting the National Chairmanship – former General Secretary John Boadu, former Greater Accra Regional Chairman Sammy Crabbe, Afoko himself, and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko – lack the capacity to reconnect with aggrieved members. He added that the party’s rebuilding must go beyond changing individuals, involving reconciliation, organisational restructuring and institutional renewal.
“If the NPP can be formidable, recontouring, and undergo institutional renewal, then the best person to lead the party is Paul Afoko,” the lecturer said. He further stressed that the National Chairman must possess credibility, reliability and experience to strengthen confidence in the party.
Afoko’s previous experience within the NPP and his broader political background, according to Amakye‑Boateng, make him suitable to spearhead what he described as a new identity for the party. The four candidates have been assigned ballot positions one to four respectively, with Boadu first, Crabbe second, Afoko third and Agyarko fourth.
The NPP is scheduled to hold its national executive elections on 3 October 2026 as it reorganises ahead of the 2028 general election. Amakye‑Boateng has previously argued that Afoko’s return to active politics could offer an opportunity for reconciliation within the NPP, noting that Afoko’s willingness to move beyond past disagreements could help bring back disaffected members.
As the party prepares for the election, observers will watch whether Afoko’s candidacy gains traction and whether the NPP can successfully rebuild its internal cohesion.
