Broadcast journalist, lecturer and author Abdul Hayi Moomen has argued that former New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman Paul Afoko is best placed among the candidates to unite the party and help heal its internal divisions.

In an opinion piece ahead of the NPP’s national executive elections, Mr Moomen said the key question for delegates should not be who has the most impressive résumé, but who can bring the party together at a critical point in its history.

He believes Mr Afoko’s experience within the party, including his removal as National Chairman during one of its most turbulent periods, gives him a unique understanding of the divisions that have confronted the NPP.

“Afoko represents an opportunity for the NPP to close an old chapter,” Mr Moomen wrote.

He argued that Mr Afoko’s return could give the party an opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to heal old wounds and reconcile factions as it seeks to rebuild its fortunes.

According to Mr Moomen, Mr Afoko’s conduct after his removal also distinguishes him from other contenders.

Read Also: Paul Afoko: Perhaps the unifier the NPP needs now

He noted that rather than publicly attacking the party or working against it from outside, Mr Afoko remained committed to the NPP and largely kept his counsel.

Mr Moomen described that approach as a sign of maturity rather than weakness.

He argued that having experienced both the highest levels of the party and rejection from it, Mr Afoko understands the consequences of factionalism and could therefore lead a meaningful reconciliation process.

He believes this could help bring both influential figures within the party and members who have become sidelined back into the fold.

Northern chairman argument

Mr Moomen also rejected an argument reportedly being made by some delegates that the NPP’s National Chairman should not come from northern Ghana because the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is from the north.

He said the argument was flawed because northern Ghana comprises several distinct ethnic groups and should not be treated as a single political or ethnic bloc.

He also pointed to the NPP’s history, arguing that the party had, for much of its existence before 2020, elected a southern presidential candidate and a southern National Chairman without treating the arrangement as a structural problem.

For Mr Moomen, the choice before delegates should therefore be based on the candidate’s ability to unite the party rather than geographical considerations.

His endorsement of Mr Afoko comes as the NPP’s National Chairmanship contest intensifies, with several candidates seeking to lead the party through a period of internal reflection and rebuilding.