National Chairman hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, says he has forgiven those who played various roles in his indefinite suspension from the party in 2015, insisting that his priority is now to help rebuild the NPP ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Mr Afoko, who was suspended by the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) in October 2015 following recommendations by its Disciplinary Committee, acknowledged that he was deeply hurt by the decision at the time but said he has since moved on.

Reflecting on the episode, he said, “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, however, stressed that dwelling on the past would not help the party overcome its current challenges.

“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,” he said, adding, “I have forgiven completely. God knows my heart. My heart is clean and clear.”

Speaking on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, during the formal announcement of his bid for the NPP National Chairmanship and the unveiling of his vision for the party, Mr Afoko also cautioned against destructive factionalism, arguing that internal divisions threaten the party's chances of returning 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.

While acknowledging that differences of opinion are inevitable, he urged members to channel them constructively. “Let’s have healthy debate within our party. That is where we distill ideas and come out with something wonderful,” he added.