A former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, has described the party's decision to hold its presidential primary in January 2026 as a blunder.

In an interview on Star FM's Star Chat and monitored by GhanaWeb, he argued that the NPP has always had a well-structured internal system that runs from polling agents to national executives before a flagbearer is chosen.

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“I think the party is making a big mistake going for presidential primaries in January [2026]. Normally, this party goes through a renewal cycle every four years… that renewal starts from the polling stations all the way up. And after the national executive is in place, then you have a presidential primary,” he remarked.

Paul Afoko also clarified that his concerns were not motivated by support for a particular candidate in the NPP flagbearer race.

“I don’t have a favourite when it comes to who I think should become the flagbearer of the NPP. I wish them well, but I don’t have a favourite,” he stressed.

The NPP has scheduled its presidential primary for Saturday, January 31, 2026, to elect a flagbearer for the 2028 general elections.

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The announcement was made by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, following a crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, and later endorsed by the party’s National Council.

"The Committee also spoke about the time for our presidential primaries. And again, the Committee agrees that that decision does not warrant amendment of our Constitution. The National Council today also made the decision that the date for our presidential primaries is set for January 31, 2026. That will be the date that we shall hold our presidential primaries," Kodua stated.

He emphasised that the date falls under the mandate of the National Council and, therefore, does not require further approval from the national delegates conference.

JKB/AE

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