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The 2012 presidential candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, has said the August 29, 2013 verdict of the Supreme Court in Ghana�s first ever presidential election petition was a painful experience for him personally. The highest Court of the land, exactly a year ago, upheld the Electoral Commission�s declaration of John Mahama as winner of the 2012 presidential poll. �Personally, the day might have brought a painful and difficult end to the 2012 elections, but it also helped me see my compatriots in an admirable light �, Akufo-Addo told party supporters in the Ashanti Region, at an even to mark the first anniversary of the Court�s ruling. The former Attorney General said the petition, nonetheless, �marked a significant coming of age of Ghana�s democratic process�. �As a Ghanaian, I will be forever proud of the way we elected to deal with our victory and our disappointment; I will always remember that when it came to the crunch, we placed the interest of our nation above that of ourselves and groups, and I will never forget the dignity with which the NPP members, in particular, conducted themselves�, the two-time presidential candidate said. Akufo-Addo, together with two-time Running Mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the party�s Chairman at the time, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, took the matter to Court, over claims that many electoral irregularities marred the integrity of the presidential results. They prayed the Court to annul the results, but their application was dismissed.