There is growing confusion in the camps of some of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate aspirants owing to an imminent government reshuffle.

The confusion is heightened by an alleged ultimatum by President Kufuor to an unnamed cabinet minister to quit his government after the latter told him of his intention to run for the post.

This happened less than a fortnight ago when the President admonished the minister: “If you want to contest then you better leave my government by April.”

While the Statesman tries to ‘unmask’ the minister concerned by alleging that the minister still intends to declare the desire to contest on his return from a trip to the US, it quotes the said minister as denying any encounter with the president.

The paper said the presidential ultimatum has sent panic waves through several of the camps, and the apprehension has not been helped by the expectation that the next reshuffle would not occasion a blanket shovelling out of all cabinet members actively interested in the NPP flagbearership. The position of some key Ministers and frontrunners are considered to be virtually secure. This, the paper says is attributed to their own clever balancing of their official duties and unofficial campaign, coupled with the counterproductive of any decision to dispense of their services now.

The NPP is not expected to hold its National Congress before December 2007. The party constitution provides for invitation to file nominations to be opened three months before the delegates meet to elect the party’s presidential candidate. The constitution also provides that “Any Minister, national Officer, and District Chief Executive who files to contest to become Presidential Candidate of the party shall resign his/her position.” President Kufuor has since 2005 been warning his ambitious ministers he would dispose of them if they ‘peaked before time’ and allowed their presidential ambitions to get in the way of their official duties.