Former NPP Chairman Paul Afoko Challenges Party’s Conditional Amnesty
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) chairman Paul Afoko has publicly challenged his party’s approach to reconciling with suspended members, calling its conditional amnesty “counterproductive.”
Speaking to Kwame Nkrumah Tikese on Okay FM, his first media appearance in years, Afoko acknowledged the NPP’s recent decision to lift suspensions as positive but criticized its stipulations.
“Offering an olive branch is commendable,” Afoko stated, referencing the party’s August 16 announcement waiving disciplinary actions. “But demanding members forfeit rights while returning? That isn’t true reconciliation.” The NPP’s terms require formally expelled members to reapply for membership and bar them from internal elections for two years.
Afoko warned the conditions could deepen rifts. “You can’t preach unity while placing hurdles before returning members,” he argued, urging unconditional reinstatement. His remarks highlight tensions within the opposition party as it regroups under President Mahama’s NDC administration.
The NPP, now led by Acting Chairman Danquah Smith Buttey, has yet to respond. With Ghana’s next election three years away, internal cohesion remains critical for the party’s 2028 strategy.
