'War' over poster ahead of NDC congress

Controversy has heated up between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the placement of posters at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi ahead of the NDC's congress tomorrow.

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the party, Mr. Joseph Yamin, told The finder that he had supervised the placing of President Mahama's posters around the stadium last Sunday, but as at Tuesday many of them had been badly damaged; something he suspected the NPP might have masterminded.

Tens of thousands of NDC faithful are expected to throng the Kumasi Sports Stadium to confirm President John Dramani Mahama as flag bearer of the NDC following the demise of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills.

The NDC on Monday accused the NPP of deliberately putting up posters of their presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, around the stadium area even though it (NPP) knew very well that the NDC had booked the place for its congress.

The NDC subsequently threatened to either deface or remove all NPP posters at the area, but the NPP did not take kindly to this. It said the NPP was only fomenting trouble.

Leaders of both parties have since Monday traded heated accusations on various radio programmes, with each side blaming the other for creating unnecessary tension.

Loudest from the NDC side has been the Ashanti Regional of the NDC, Mr. Joseph Yamin, who is part of the team seeing to the preparations on the grounds for the congress.

He issued the threat to either deface or remove Nana Akufo-Addo's posters, claiming that the NPP had suddenly placed its posters there just to invite trouble.

The NPP's move may not be illegal, but this is immoral so we shall deface them; let them report us to the police,” he said.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Fredrick Fredua Anto, however, denied that his party just put up the posters at the stadium area.

According to him, some of the posters had been there long before the NDC even decided to bring its congress to Kumasi.

He does not see why the presence of Nana Akufo-Addo's posters around the stadium should negatively affect the NDC's congress in any way.

He explained that the NPP had already placed its posters all over the city, and with the launch of the NPP's campaign last weekend, serious work had begun to make Nana Akufo-Addo more visible to the voter.

Mr. Anto appealed to all politicians to show tolerance and maturity.

Meanwhile, a visit by this reporter to the stadium revealed that a number of the NDC posters had been destroyed, and that posters of Nana Addo had been placed on streetlight and bill board poles near the stadium.

This reporter counted about 14 of such poles. On the other hand, the stadium was awash with NDC flags, most of which had a portrait of the late President Prof. J.E.A Mills embossed on them.

When contacted, Corporal Godwin Ahianyo, of the Ashanti Regional Police Affairs, said the Regional Security Council was meeting over the matter.

“In fact if anybody has a problem, the best way to go about it is to report to the appropriate authorities, and in this case the police. You don't just use the media to disturb the peace otherwise you only make the work of the police more difficult,” he said.

A taxi driver who gave his name as Kwaku was so angry that the NDC and the NPP could descend so low as to fight over the placement of posters.

“We are worried sick about our survival and they are concerned about the placement of posters,” he said.