Neither of the two surviving former Presidents, Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor, was present in Parliament to grace the occasion, which was attended by Justices of the Supreme Court, members of the diplomatic corps and traditional leaders among others.
NPP had refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of President Mahama, contesting at the Supreme Court the Electoral Commission�s declaration of NDC candidate as president after the 2012 presidential election.
The party�s presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and two others had petitioned the Supreme Court, challenging the presidential results because they believed the election was laden with widespread irregularities and malpractices.
In line with this, the Minority caucus had been boycotting the vetting of the ministers appointed by President Mahama as a sign of protest until the declaration by the Supreme Court.
Yesterday�s boycott of the state-of-the nation address, according to the minority caucus, was still in tandem with their denial of President Mahama�s legitimacy and this would continue until the highest court of the land decides otherwise.
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