‘Its unfortunate’: Majority Leader lashes out at Mahama for failing to attend Akufo-Addo’s SONA

Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, has lashed out at former President John Dramani Mahama for failing to attend his successor’s recent State of the Nation Address last month.

According to him, Mahama’s failure to attend the event could not be justified under any circumstance.

The Majority Leader made this remark during the concluding part of the State of the Nation’s debate in Parliament on Tuesday.

“It’s unfortunate former President Mahama did not attend this event, the people of Ghana expect more from him,” he said disappointedly.

It was not President Mahama who took French leave from the event. The Minority, on February 20, lived up to its words and walked out before President Akufo-Addo delivered his address.

SONA 2020: Minority walkout on President Akufo-Addo’s address

The Majority Leader insisted that Nana Akufo-Addo when he was in opposition was always at the State of the Nation Address of then-President Mahama, his predecessor.

He was, however, quick to add, “Nana did not appear at the 2014 event because at that time,  he had travelled outside the country.”

But he said when President Akufo-Addo returned to the country, he attended Mahama’s State of the Nation’s Address in 2015.

When Majority MPs scolded their counterparts on the other side for boycotting the State of the Nation Address, many reminded the NPP legislators of doing the same thing in 2013.

Speaking in defence of that action, the Majority Leader said, “The NPP party, including now-President Akufo-Addo, did not attend Mahama’s SONA in 2013 because the NPP at that time was contesting the legitimacy of the then President, hence the decision by the NPP parliamentary group to boycott the event in 2013.”

He added that the NPP subsequently in 2014 attended the event since the case at the Supreme Court had been decided on.

Desperate times call for desperate measures – Minority justifies their SONA walk-out