Accra, Dec. 27, GNA - The United States of America (USA) branch of Convention People's Party (CPP) on Wednesday pledged its support for the Patriots, a pressure group within the Party.

"We the USA Branch of CPP accept and recognize the Patriots as the organizing wing of the Party believing that their activities would enhance the Party's chances to win the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections,=94 the branch stated in an e-mail sent to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

"We pledge to work towards organizing all supporters and sympathizers of CPP residing in the USA, Canada, northern and southern Americas, into a big entity to back up the general advancement and strengthened organization of the Party through the Patriots," it said. The statement was issued at the end of a special meeting held at Woodbridge, Virginia, USA, attended by leading members of the branch including, Mr Yaw A. Adu-Otu, Mr George Kojo Arthur, Mr Ato Sackey, Mr Ebo Kwabena Parker and Mr Emmanuel Quaye.

They pledged to contribute intellectual support, provide material needs and other resources towards organizational work of the Patriots. In addition, they expressed concern about the lack of progressive development within the CPP in Ghana, stressing "We cannot allow the Party that delivered independence to Ghana and liberation to Africa to go down knowing that the CPP has been totally dead at the grassroots." "We are disturbed that the average Ghanaian has lost the spirit and is without a soul," it added.

The branch called on the CPP leadership to rekindle the lost identity and dignity of the Party through collaboration with the Patriots to rejuvenate the regional offices and constituencies as well as conducting other socially acceptable and responsible political propaganda activities, as part of the general preparations towards Elections 2008.

It urged the Party's leadership to use the media as a useful tool for dissemination of organizational messages of the Party. The Branch also adopted The Patriots' organizational theme; "The Collective Identity and Dignity of the Ghanaian" as the vehicle to formulate a plan for raising funds to support a CPP Congress in Ghana.