Paul Afoko, the former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has attributed the party's declining electoral fortunes to a deterioration in internal management and party unity since his departure from office. He made this assertion in an interview with JoyNews' Kojo Brace, in which he also reflected on his tenure as National Chairman.
Afoko's Leadership: A Period of Electoral Success
During his tenure as National Chairman, the NPP experienced one of its strongest electoral performances. The party secured an unprecedented 169 parliamentary seats and achieved a presidential victory by a margin of approximately one million votes. However, Afoko was quick to dismiss suggestions that these achievements were the result of his individual efforts, stating, "I cannot claim to have a magic wand. It was teamwork. The whole party was involved." He attributed the party's success to the fairness, transparency, and inclusiveness that characterized the internal parliamentary primaries during his leadership.
The Decline Under New Leadership
According to Afoko, one of the defining features of his leadership was the manner in which the party conducted its internal parliamentary primaries. He maintained that fairness, transparency, and inclusiveness helped preserve unity even after highly competitive contests. However, under new leadership, the party's parliamentary representation declined sharply. The NPP's seats fell from 169 to 137 during its first general election after Afoko left office, despite the party being in government at the time. Afoko cited the controversy surrounding the Fomena Constituency as an example of the party's shortcomings in managing internal affairs.
The Fomena Constituency Controversy
The Fomena Constituency controversy involved the party's disowning of its former parliamentary candidate, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, after he contested the election as an independent candidate. Afoko noted that the party devoted considerable effort to campaigning against its former member in what has traditionally been regarded as an NPP stronghold instead of focusing its campaign against the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). "The very MP we went to his constituency and declared that he was a stranger to our party and that he was out of the party, we campaigned specifically against him," Afoko said. "Fomena is our stronghold, and we didn’t need to campaign against the NDC. We were campaigning against our own."
The Road Ahead for the NPP
Afoko's intervention was driven by concern for the party's future, and he maintained that the NPP must reflect on its recent experiences and strengthen its internal democratic processes if it hopes to regain its previous electoral dominance. The former chairman's comments have sparked debate within the party, with some members calling for a review of the party's internal management and primaries process. As the NPP prepares for its next general election, the party's ability to address its internal challenges and regain its electoral footing remains to be seen.
Source: Joy Online
