The United States of America branch of the 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,” 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. 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. Meanwhile the CPP at the weekend inaugurated a new office for the Klowor Constituency at Nungua in Accra as part of efforts to reposition the party to win Election 2008. The office, situated next to the Nungua market, was secured through both party funding and individual support. Dr Nii Gborbilor Fleischer, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the CPP, called on the members to unite and fine-tune their strategies to expand and capture more youth to ensure victory in the elections. He further called on all true Nkrumaists to come back to their roots to help to build a strong party that would once again answer to the cries of the masses. Mr Fleischer commended CPP members in the constituency for the initiative and urged the Executives to work hard at winning the hearts of voters to the party. "You must not turn the office into a recreational place for leisure, but you must go out to the people to know about their concerns so that we can strategise to fulfill such needs when we win power in 2008." He said the CPP wanted to build a caring and self-reliant society just as Dr Nkrumah did and to ensure that Ghana produced more than it imported. Dr Kwaku Osafo, a member of the Patriots, said the rejuvenation of the CPP was important for its success in Election 2008 and argued that that since the Party that led Ghana to independence, it ought to be allowed a role in the celebration of the 50th Independence Anniversary and called on the Government to declare Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah's birthday as a statutory holiday to give him full recognition during the celebrations. Mr Emmanuel Borketey, Constituency Chairman, said the CPP was determined to rise once more as a formidable party to lead the nation to success. He noted that far from being dead as many people thought, the CPP was alive and working hard to ensure victory in Election 2008. "At the constituency level, we intend to embark upon a massive registration exercise as part of the process to rebuild the Party," he said. Source GNA