Accra, Sept. 17, GNA - An estimated 50,000 card-bearing members and supporters of the Convention People's Party (CPP) are expected from across the country to attend the launch of the party's campaign for this year's elections.

The launch would be held on Sunday at the Holy Gardens, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, in Accra at which the party's running mate would be outdoored, a statement from the office of "Nduom for President 08" said on Wednesday.

"The idea of bringing card-bearing members to the programme is to show to Ghanaians, the encouraging result of the party's nationwide registration drive which kick-started on the Republic Day, July 1 2008 at the Accra Polytechnic where about 1,000 students who registered for the CPP were issued with membership cards," the statement said. The CPP said since then it had registered thousands of members throughout the country, adding that the exercise would continue till December 6, a day before the general elections.

The statement asked all members of the party who would be attending the programme to bring along with them their membership cards and show them to Ghanaians.

That gesture, the CPP leadership explained, was a departure from the normal practice where political parties patronized and sponsored people to an occasion just to wage a psychological warfare.

"We want to be sure that about 97 per cent of people who troop into the rally ground on Sunday are our own. Of course we would not bar any member of the public who would want to attend our programme. We would, however, not sponsor non-card bearing members of our party to attend the programme," the party's presidential candidate, Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom said. The statement said many CPP stalwarts, including Prof Agyeman Badu Akosa, Mr Bright Akwetey, Dr Kweku Osafo, Dr F.W.K. Akuffo, would speak at the function.

Representatives of the party's branches in North America and the UK would also address the rally where the flag bearer, Dr Nduom and his running mate would also speak. It said representative of other political parties, identifiable groups and members of the Diplomatic Corps are expected to attend.