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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