The Castle, the seat of Government, is said to be split into three or even four camps over who should become the next presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party.

The first and most obvious camp is that of Aliu Mahama, with the Vice President expected to announce his candidacy by May.

Then, there is said to be the Paapa Owusu Ankomah camp. Intelligence reports picked up by The Statesman point to some senior staff of the Office of the Chief of Staff, at least, ostensibly throwing weighty support behind the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, who only recently made up his mind to contest.

From 2001, Alan Kyerematen, Paapa Owusu-Ankomah and Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu were seen as the 'Kufuor Boys" being groomed for bigger things. So far, only the unassuming but very affable Finance Minister has stayed clear of the congested competition.

But, the old rumour that Alan Kyerematen was the preferred choice of President John Agyekum Kufuor has not lost steam, in spite of some of the President’s recent public statements on the PSI, and on experience and long-service to the Danquah-Busia leadership being major criteria in the selection of his successor. Some observers say if the President still prefers the Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and PSI Minister as his candidate, then he’s been very stealthy about his support.

Alan Kyerematen himself is extremely anxious about being seen within some party quarters as the ‘President’s boy,’ for fear of being ‘Ntim-ised’. Stephen Ntim’s unsuccessful attempt to become the National Chairman of the NPP was widely seen as a result of his portrayal in 2005 as the Castle candidate. Ironically, there are cunning similarities in the campaigns of Ntim and Kyerematen. Both relatively young men were quick off the marks, putting up impressive campaign machineries, and being generous with the funding of their respective ambitions.

Ironically, there are cunning similarities in the campaigns of Ntim and Kyerematen. Both relatively young men were quick off the marks, putting up impressive campaign machineries, and being generous with the funding of their respective ambitions.

However, there is growing speculation that the President may be warming to the candidacy of his loyal Foreign Minister, Nana Akufo-Addo. The President’s body language and utterances in recent weeks are increasingly being interpreted by some as tacit support for his closest rival in 1998.

In that six-man leadership contest at Sunyani, Kufuor and Akufo-Addo shared about 96 percent of the delegates’ vote between themselves, with the President receiving about twice as many votes as his closest rival.

Sympathisers of Akufo-Addo are of the view that his job, which has him travelling abroad, on an average, once every two weeks, is helping him to pile up air miles, while rival-aspirants are piling up road miles at the constituency level.

Meanwhile, the Minister is himself not overly bothered about this, believing that he can combine his busy foreign affairs schedule with that of his pursuit of his party’s flagbearership.

Typical of his challenges is what happened this week, when he had to break off his crucial maiden regional tour of NPP constituency offices in the Ashanti Region, after visiting 26 of the 39 constituencies, to fly to Senegal today for the swearing-in ceremony of President Wade.

He returns after two days to travel to Morocco on Friday for an international conference.

Some of his ardent supporters are worried about this heavy schedule, which may even get heavier with the election of President Kufuor as AU chairman and Ghana’s hosting of the AU Summit in July.

Although they accept their candidate’s ministerial duties come first, they believe if it should slow his physical bid to lead the party in 2008, then their preferred candidate deserves more than a token presidential recognition for this worthwhile "self-sacrifice.”

Although, some analysts see the Trade Minister’s campaign as likely to be hurt by any discernible signs of a presidential endorsement, the same backlash is not expected against some other candidates if such an endorsement were to come their way.

Aspirants such as, Akufo-Addo, Yaw Osaf-Maafo, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Aliu Mahama, and Kofi Konadu Apraku are seen as formidable in their own right who would be boosted rather than harmed by receiving additional support from the Presidency.

However, the President, The Statesman can reveal, is known to be substantially willing to throw his weight behind the aspirant in whose direction the wind of party support would eventually appear to blow, though he is likely to have his own preferences.

So far, 19 people are known to be actively vying to assume pole position in the race for the flagbearership of the ruling party, including nine members of Cabinet.