A governance expert and Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, Dr. Sule Gariba, says President Kufuor is within his rights to ask ministers with presidential ambitions to resign.

Dr. Sule Gariba told Joy News that the President should not hesitate to sack those who refuse to heed his call.

Media reports suggest that President Kufuor has issued a fiat to all minister-aspirants to resign by next week.

According to Dr. Sule Gariba, the fiat should send a strong signal to those involved to quickly make up their minds about the viability of their presidential bids or concentrate on their ministerial duties.

He said though the party position suggests that minister-aspirants can campaign, it is the president and his government that ultimately suffer from the jostling for position.

At least eight members of President Kufuor's Cabinet including his brother and Defence Minister are seeking to succeed him and are criss-crossing the country campaigning for votes.

Dr. Gariba told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoe that such situation affects the running of government and the cordial relationship among the competing ministers.

“Once you are taking a campaign whether openly or privately, it is presumed that you are doing so in competition with another ministerial colleague. Cabinet is a cohesive whole to discharge government business and even though it might not be acrimonious, we all know that that competition alone might cloud the possibility of cooperation in the discharge of one’s function.”

Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama has also made clear his intention to run for the office.

Meanwhile, some of the minister-aspirants who Joy News reached this morning over the matter have declined comments.

The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Education Minister, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Minister for Tourism and Diasporean Relations, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey have all declined to make any public statements on the president's call on them to resign.

But Communications Minister, Prof. Mike Ocquaye who is also said to be one of the ministers eyeing the position, says he is studying the President's directive and will respond at an appropriate time.