Over the weekend, Ghanian officials removed the campaign billboards of President Goodluck Jonathan and opposition candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, mounted in Accra, under the order of itsĀ national security agency. Sensible move. More on the click.
Signage for Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election was beginning to spill over into neighboring Ghana with both Pres. Goodluck Jonathan‘s campaign(PDP)Ā and General Muhammadu Buhari‘s camp (APC) erecting billboards in key locations in the capital, Accra. Ā But this past weekend, Ghanian officials put a stop to that. Ā As The Punch reports:
The billboards of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party featuring President Goodluck Jonathan, as well as those of the main opposition All Progressives Congress of Muhammadu Buhari, located on Accra roads, were pulled down over the weekend by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.
The decision to pull down the billboards was said to have come amid fears by some Ghanaians that their country could be drawn indirectly into the politics of Nigeria, with security implications, especially with the Boko Haram terrorists wreaking havoc in Nigeria.
Following the order by the National Security, according to GhanaWeb, a security expert at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Dr. Kwesi Annin, had indicated that Ghana had been saved from a possible attack by the terrorist group, Boko Haram, by pulling down the billboards put up in some parts of Accra.
He was quoted to have said that political elite in the country could have been targeted by Boko Haram if the political campaign in Ghana was not stopped.
He said, āI think it is critical that the National Security and Accra Metropolitan Assembly have listened to the concerns and voices raised by ordinary citizens that these billboards and some level of active political engagement might pose potential threat in the future.ā
He said the removal of the billboards should not only be about Boko Haram, but also about whether or not laws governing the country permit foreign political entities to campaign in Ghana.
Mmm, potential threat from Boko Haram or not, it makes sense to pull down the billboards. Why should any country erect political propaganda on the main streets of another? Ā Brothers, neighbors or not, I would feel some kind of way if I saw a Canadian election billboard as I was driving down the interstate into New York. lol like this isn’t your country my friend, carry go.
What do you think about Ghana’s decision?
