National Chairmanship aspirant of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, has pledged to work closely with the party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to secure victory in the 2028 general election.

Mr Afoko made the commitment after filing his nomination papers at the NPP headquarters in Accra on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to contest the party’s National Chairmanship election.

He said the NPP must put its internal contest behind it and build a united, disciplined and formidable political organisation capable of winning back the confidence of Ghanaians.

“Our Party has already elected Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as our Presidential Candidate. That contest is over. The delegates have spoken. Our responsibility now is clear,” he said.

“We must give our Presidential Candidate a united, disciplined, formidable party capable of carrying our message into every community in Ghana and winning the confidence of the Ghanaian people.”

Mr Afoko gave the assurance that if elected National Chairman, he would offer Dr Bawumia the organisational support required to lead the NPP back to government.

“If you elect me National Chairman, I will work loyally and tirelessly with Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to return the New Patriotic Party to government in 2028,” he stated.

He rejected suggestions that the National Chairman and flagbearer could become competing centres of authority, arguing that the two positions have distinct but complementary responsibilities.

“The flagbearer and the Chairman do not compete with one another. Their responsibilities complement one another,” Mr Afoko said.

“The flagbearer leads our national electoral proposition. The Chairman must ensure that behind him stands a functioning political organisation capable of translating that proposition into votes.”

The former NPP National Chairman said the party’s campaign to recapture political power must begin immediately, warning that elections are not won through last-minute preparations.

“Our journey back to government in 2028 does not begin in December 2028. It begins now,” he said.

“The NPP cannot wait until 2028 to become an election-winning machine. We must build that machine today.”

Mr Afoko has anchored his campaign on three objectives, “Reunite, Reorganise and Recapture", which he said would help heal internal divisions, rebuild the party from the grassroots and position it to win the next general election.

He also promised to lead the party without factional considerations, declaring that he had “no enemies to punish, no scores to settle and no faction to reward at the expense of another”.

“I am not contesting to become Chairman of a faction. I am contesting to become Chairman of the New Patriotic Party,” he added.