Jonathan and Buhari
The
campaign billboards of two Nigerian presidential candidates erected in
Ghana’s capital, Accra have been pulled down following an order by the
country’s (Ghana) national security agency.
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, “I 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.”
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.
Meanwhile, an international relations
expert, Dr. Vladmir Antwi Danso, said Ghana had been saved from severing
future relations with Nigeria.
He was reported to have explained that
if there was the perception that Ghana was supporting one candidate over
the other, then the relationship between Ghana and Nigeria after the
elections would be marred.
“What if after the elections the scales
change, then the relationship between our country and Nigeria will also
have some hiccups,” Danso said
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