Against the back drop of the sensitisation carried out to mobilise people for the governorship election in Cross River State, a large number of eligible voters, on Saturday, shunned the exercise as various polling centres witnessed very low turnout.

Investigations conducted by Sunday Tribune revealed that conflicting reports over the injunction purportedly granted by a Federal High Court in Abuja earlier in the week, barring the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting the elections, might have been responsible for the lacklustre attitude of majority of voters towards the poll.

Though major streets in Calabar were deserted owing to restriction of movements, many were seen engaging in light commercial activities.

There was presence of security operatives on major highways, with detachments of anti-riot policemen and soldiers patrolling streets to prevent possible breakdown of law and order.

Despite the early arrival of electoral materials at polling units, the number of eligible voters who came out for the accreditation exercise was  low, though over 1.2million voters were registered in the state.

The low turnout followed the mass protest staged by Bakassi residents against the court injunction restraining INEC from conducting election in Day Spring Island.

Presiding Judge, Justice A.F.A Ademola, had, on Friday in Calabar, granted a temporary injunction to Muri Edet Etim Asuquo, Chief Antigha A. Cobham and Chief Effiong Bassey, restraining INEC from conducting election in Day Spring 1/2 Island in Bakassi local government.

At Ward 6 in Calabar South local government area, electoral materials arrived as early as 7.35a.m., but when Sunday Tribune visited the unit around 9.45a.m, only 10 persons had been accredited out of the over 800 registered voters in the ward.

At Sacred Heart Primary School, Egerton, in Calabar South local government council, only 35 persons were accredited as at 11.59a.m., out of the 755 voters registered.

At Obubra and Etung local government councils, there was low turnout of voters as many failed to show up for accreditation exercise.

The situation was slightly better though in Yakurr and Abi local government areas as sizable number of voters participated in the exercise.

At Itigidi in Abi local government council where the immediate past Governor, Liyel Imoke hails from, many came out to vote.

The former governor, who is the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was accredited at 11.45am, while he voted around 12.35pm.

Imoke expressed satisfaction with the operation and arrangements of INEC, same for the backup provided by security agencies.

However, over 2000 Bakassi residents  staged a peaceful protest to denounce the injunction granted by a Federal High Court in Calabar, restraining INEC from conducting governorship election in Day Spring Island, which is under the precinct of Bakassi local government council.

Led by Senator Florence Ita Giwa, the protesters described the injunction as a “judicial ambush” targeted at disenfranchising the people of Bakassi. They vowed to resist this development through legal means.

According to Senator Ita Giwa, “Bakassi people normally come to Marina, board boats to Day Spring Island where we voted in previous elections, the April presidential and National Assembly elections. I believe that as bonafide Nigerians, we have the right to vote where we were registered”.

“For a very strange reason, there is a twist of fate here. This particular governorship election, we had what we call judiciary ambush in the sense that an injunction stopping INEC from conducting election in Day Spring was granted by a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar at around 4.30pm on Friday. There was no opportunity to vacate the injunction”, Senator Ita Giwa lamented.

Continuing, she asserted that “we in Bakassi have issues with the federal government which ceded Bakassi 10 years ago to Cameroon following the International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment at the Hague. The government promised to relocate us with our traditional and political structures, but they have reneged on the promise.”

While accusing the federal government and Cross River State of toying with the future of Bakassi, Senator Giwa recalled that the late military Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, approved the creation of Bakassi local government, querying why allocation meant for Bakassi local should go to only three wards.

Reacting to the injunction barring INEC from conducting election at Day Spring Island, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Cross River State, Barrister Mike Igini, said the electoral body was ready to comply with the court order.

“INEC is a creation of the law. Where there is a court order, even if such order was not properly given, or given out of jurisdiction, the proper approach on a part of a lawful organisation is to abide by the court. Even if it is aggrieved, you approach the court to challenge such pronouncement.”

“INEC cannot choose how to obey court, rather, we would go to court,” Igini said.