Chairman of the New Patriotic Party Paul Afoko is set to defy any internal opposition from some top guns and launch the second phase of the new NPP membership card.

The Second Vice-chairman of the party Sammy Crabbe is backing the party chairman to go ahead with the exercise which has been described by the National Treasurer Abankwa Yeboah as illegal.

According to National Treasurer, the party's National Council and the National Executive Committee (NEC) have not approved the issuance of any new card.

The new NPP membership card is an electronic card which combines an individual’s personal and financial data, hence, enabling electronic payments of goods and service, dues payments, donations and other contributions in support of the party.

It will serve as an authentic database to verify future claims of party memberships.

The system also tracks members’ positions, contributions, dues payments, among others and creates a time line of members’ political histories and association with the party.

The card is expected to among others help the party raise funds ahead of the 2016 elections.

The NPP Second Vice-chairman Sammy Crabbe the position taken by the National Treasurer Mr. Abankwa Yeboah is “unfortunate.’’

The proposal for the card was reviewed and voted upon by the party with Mr. Abankwa Yeboah taking part in all the process, he stated.

He would however not say if the decision to launch the card has the backing of the party’s flagbearer. “I won’t answer to that, I don’t want you to draw the thing into controversy,” he stressed.

“I don’t think it is a fraudulent action. I think the National chairman and the General Secretary were there to launch it in the full view of the cameras,” he maintained.

The first phase of the membership registration exercise was first launched on September 16, 2015 at the African Regent Hotel in Accra.

The promotion of the new membership card is expected to be replicated in all the regions to whip up support for the exercise.

The party had planned the Ashanti regional launch on Wednesday but has had to postpone the event.

Some party supporters in the Ashanti region opposed the Wednesday launch saying it coincided with the flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo's tour of the Ashanti region known as the ‘Rise and Build’ tour.

Ashanti Regional Secretary Samuel Pyne told  Nhyira FM that they would boycott the programme.

Samuel Pyne explained that “if care is not taken, the launch of the card will divert attention from the message the party intends to put across.”

The Spokesperson of the National Chairman has flatly denied this allegation.

Nana Yaw Osei explained that the party scheduled the launch a week ago and had no knowledge that it would coincide with the flag bearer’s tour.