New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman aspirant Paul Afoko has revealed that he always believed his brother, Gregory Afoko, was innocent of the murder of the party’s late Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama.
Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, July 21, Mr Afoko said he initially took a firm stance that his brother should face the full rigours of the law if found guilty.
“I was still chairman of the party, and because of the events leading to that in Bolga, I was clear that if Greg had done this, then they can send him to the gallows. I don’t care because you don’t take a human life for any reason,” he said.
Mr Afoko said his view changed after he had a personal conversation with his brother while he was standing trial.
“When I got the opportunity to speak to him, I said, ‘Greg, just as a brother, tell me what happened. Why did you do this?’ He said to me, ‘Senior, you know I’ve been to jail before for other things, and I didn’t give a damn about being in jail because I knew what I’d done. But this one, to be in prison for something I haven’t done, it hurts.’ Those were his words to me, and immediately I was convinced, looking into his eyes. I believed him clearly, and he’s been vindicated,” he stated.
Asked whether he believed his brother’s prosecution was intended to target him while he served as NPP National Chairman, Mr Afoko said he held that view at the time.
“At the time, yes, I believed that. To hurt me, because ultimately the petition that went to the party for my removal actually cited that,” he said.
According to Mr Afoko, some party members argued that his brother’s arrest could compromise the NPP because he might disclose confidential party information to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in exchange for his brother’s freedom.
“They said that because of my brother’s arrest, I would be selling the NPP’s secrets to the NDC in order to obtain my brother’s freedom. Therefore, I had to be removed,” he said.
Mr Afoko said he rejected that argument, insisting that even if his brother had been found guilty, it should not have been used against him.
“I even told them that even if my brother was proven to be guilty, guilt is not transferable. You can’t transfer my brother’s guilt onto me. But the mood at the time was such that nobody was ready to countenance any other view other than ‘Afoko must go,'” he added.
Gregory Afoko and Asabke Alangde were discharged by the High Court in Accra on December 1, 2025, after repeated delays in the murder and conspiracy to commit murder case relating to the death of Adams Mahama.
The decision followed several adjournments requested by the Attorney General’s Office and the absence of a prosecutor during one of the scheduled hearings.
The case followed an earlier trial in which the jury returned hung verdicts on the murder and conspiracy to commit murder charges against Gregory Afoko. Asabke Alangde was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder but faced a hung jury on the murder charge, prompting the court to order a retrial.
