John Boadu, a Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says the country should blame itself for the high state of anticipation and apprehension among the citizenry ahead of the Supreme Court’s pronouncement on the pending election petition case.
According to him, leading political figures in the country have been causing fear in the populace; hence the tension in the country’s political atmosphere as the country awaits the ruling.
Speaking on the circular issued by the US Embassy on Monday warning its citizens resident in Ghana to be extremely careful as the nation awaits the court’s ruling, John Boadu admonished critics of the statement to cease fire because to him, the nation has created conducive atmosphere for the US to warn its citizenry against any possible danger in the nation.
The US Embassy on Monday urged its citizens to take note of “potential increase in political tensions and the possibility of isolated violence associated with the anticipated August 29 announcement of the Ghanaian Supreme Court’s decision on the legal challenge to Ghana’s election results”.
The statement titled: “Security Message for U.S. Citizens: Potential Reaction to the Supreme Court’s Election Decision”, also urged “U.S. citizens in Ghana” to maintain “a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security/safety awareness during this politically-sensitive period”.
Following the statement, some have severely lashed out at the Embassy for seemingly hoping for the unfortunate incident to occur in the nation. But speaking on Oman FM on Tuesday, the NPP Deputy Communications Director stressed that it is our “action and inaction over a period of time” that clearly points “to that level, giving an impression that it is a D-day; something will happen.”
“Any responsible government everywhere will do that. If our embassies outside cannot inform Ghanaian nationals, interact with them when danger looms around, then we don’t have to blame responsible government for doing what is responsible because we’ve created the environment for it.”
He also took a swipe at political commentators who have been sermonizing parties involved in the election dispute to accept the verdict irrespective of the direction it takes, saying it is advisable for them to make the citizens aware that any of the parties can go for a review if the verdict does not suit them.