Never Underestimate Power Of Billboards To Spark Violence...

James Kwabena Bomfeh, former National Youth Organizer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), is elated that the Nigerian political billboards mounted in some parts of Accra have been removed.

The billboards were noticeably evident near the Accra mall, Dzorwulu and Osu 

With a few weeks to go for Nigeria's general elections, opposition parties have been rigorously campaigning to shoot their party into government by canvassing for votes from Nigeria nationals in Ghana.

Consequently, some billboards of of Nigerian Presidential candidate, General Mohammed Buhari and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan were mounted in Accra, but over the weekend, the country's National Security directed the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to pull down the billboards of the two major political rivals in the contest.

The action (removal of the billboards), was perhaps as a result of the rise of insurgency by terrorist group Boko Haram, and several agitations raised - including those of security experts - on the Ghanaian political front, calling on State authorities to get rid of the billboards since they argue such blatant display of campaign messages could be detrimental to the peace of the nation.

But others strongly differed holding the view that there was no way such an act could result in Boko Haram attacking Ghanaians neither will it have an impact on the voting pattern of Nigerians living in Ghana.

Addressing the issue on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", James Kwabena Bomfeh also called Kabila expressed contentment that the billboards have finally been removed to prevent any political chaos in the country.

According to him, though some people may argue that the billboards will not have a negative toll on the Ghana's political climate; it is however advisable that no Ghanaian underestimates the effects of billboards.

“Eventually we’re going to turn Ghana into Nigeria…What’s happening in Nigeria where cars are burned [branded vehicles], even Goodluck’s own branded vehicles are burned; we don’t want to see that situation in Ghana. The spillover of the negative tendencies in Nigeria! We’re even struggling to deal with our domestic electoral issues, let alone compiling some nation’s burdens on us.

“Don’t underestimate what billboards can do to spark violence…Especially if you look at the trend of what was happening where it was just a particular candidate in the contest of Nigeria and his Vice President’s billboard that were displayed," he said.