PPP joins NPP in boycott of Mahama's inauguration

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) will neither send a delegation to President John Mahama's inauguration today nor participate in it in anyway, joining the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to boycott the programme.

The hint was dropped by the party's General Secretary, Kofi Asamoah Siaw, yesterday in protest against the flawed December 7 polls' as he put it.

He said the polls were flawed and sending a delegation or partaking in it as though nothing was amiss was not the right thing to do.

"We consider the December 7 polls a flawed process, the product of which is the declaration of President Mahama as President-elect.

"Sending a delegation to the event or even taking part in it is giving legitimacy to what was by all standards a flawed polls," he told Daily Guide.

"We are calling for electoral reforms in the country. We have not heard from the Peace Council and EC regarding this call. We think that there is a deliberate attempt at scuttling attempts at effecting electoral reforms," he said.

"We cannot go and sit there and smile as if all is well and give legitimacy to a flawed electoral process. Our non-appearance at the inauguration is a way of registering our disapproval of the flawed elections."

The flag bearer of the PPP, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, he said, was in the United States attending to family issues.

Daily Guide gathered that the gentleman left the country fuming over what for him was the incessant talk about peace when injustice had taken centre stage in the scheme of things in the political system.

The PPP was one of the vocal parties contesting the authenticity of the outcome of the December 7 polls and the declaration of President Mahama as winner, arguing that some of their votes were stolen and given to the NDC in some constituencies across the country, although they did not head for the Supreme Court as did the NPP.

The PPP has however endorsed the action of the NPP.

The NPP National Council, the second highest decision making body outside congress, had resolved that the party would not take part in the inauguration because of the pending court case.

Party General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie said the decision was taken “in order to undermine the critical principle of any democracy that the results of an election should reflect the voice of the majority of voters, not the voice of those who count, collate or declare the results.”

"We take this opportunity to remind the general public and our supporters that the scheduled inauguration of John Dramani Mahama as President of the Republic is without prejudice to the outcome of the case in the Supreme Court.

"We urge our supporters to continue to remain calm as we seek justice at the Supreme Court. The petitioners have put their case before Court, and we leave it for the Court to judge its merits." he said.