Aspiring National Chairperson of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Afoko, has dismissed opinion polls on the party’s national chairmanship race, insisting that the only result that matters to him is the vote on October 3, 2026.
His comments follow a recent survey by Global InfoAnalytics which placed former NPP General Secretary John Boadu ahead of the other leading contenders in the race.
The poll, released on August 20, showed that 27% of NPP voters preferred John Boadu as National Chairman, compared with 15% for former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko and 10% for Paul Afoko.
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But Mr Afoko has rejected the findings, arguing that opinion polls cannot accurately determine how delegates will vote.
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of a thanksgiving service for newly elected Ashanti Regional executives at Gracefields Chapel in the Nhyiaeso Constituency, Mr Afoko said he was confident about his prospects.
“I don’t believe in any polls. The only poll I believe in is the October 3 poll here in Kumasi,” he said.
Mr Afoko said his campaign message is gaining traction in the areas he had visited, although he maintained that he did not rely on opinion polls to assess his chances.
“The message is resonating. But I don’t believe in any polls,” he added.
He described other surveys as speculative, saying it was difficult to establish whether respondents accurately disclosed their voting intentions.
“All other polls are just speculation. And as they say, you can’t enter into a person’s mind and know whether they are telling you the truth or not,” he said.
Mr Afoko added that his decision to remain in the race reflected his confidence in his ability to win.
“So I wouldn’t be here campaigning if I thought I was going to lose. I wouldn’t,” he said.
Rebuilding unity
The NPP chairmanship aspirant also used the occasion to call for greater unity within the party, arguing that cohesion would be essential if the party is to return to power.
Mr Afoko described the Ashanti Region as the “heartbeat” and stronghold of the NPP and said the election of new regional executives offered an opportunity to rebuild the party’s structures following its recent electoral setbacks.
He said the newly elected executives should receive the support needed to strengthen the party at the grassroots.
The thanksgiving service was organised by the new Ashanti Regional executives led by Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as Asanteman COKA.
Mr Afoko said he attended primarily to show solidarity with the new regional leadership and encourage them to work towards rebuilding the party.
Mr Afoko expressed optimism that the NPP could reclaim the seven parliamentary seats it lost in the Ashanti Region during the 2024 general election.
The region currently accounts for 40 of the party’s seats in Parliament, he noted, stressing the need to pay particular attention to constituencies where the NPP suffered defeats.
He, however, maintained that unity would be the foundation for any successful attempt to regain power.
“The one prerequisite of power is unity,” Mr Afoko said, calling on party members to move beyond internal divisions and discrimination.
He urged the NPP to reconnect with the spirit of unity associated with its roots in the United Party tradition.
“Those days they used to call us UP tradition. We have reached that point again. We have to find our unity,” he said.
Mr Afoko also expressed confidence in the new Ashanti Regional Chairman, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, saying his experience in party organisation would be valuable to the NPP’s rebuilding efforts.
He cited Mr Appiah’s previous experience at the constituency level and expressed optimism about the party’s prospects in the region under his leadership.
“Once we find our unity and COKA does his job very well, which I believe he will because he’s experienced, he’s held constituency chairmanship and all that, then yes, the future of our party in Asante is bright,” he said.