At a news conference in Calabar, the leader of Bakassi people, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa, said their exclusion from voting in the election amounted to disenfranchisement.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following Nigeria’s ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon, Bakassi people were resettled in Dayspring community in Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River.
A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar on Thursday, however, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting election in Dayspring community.
Ita-Giwa said Bakassi people had always voted at Dayspring in previous elections and wondered why they were prevented from exercising their right in the ongoing governorship election.
"Our people have been disenfranchised. During the last election, our people voted in Dayspring. This is injustice,’’ she said.
She said the court injunction came late on Thursday, adding that it was too late for the people to challenge it.
Ita-Giwa said Bakassi people would continue their struggle for self-determination and at the same time be law-abiding.
In his reaction, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Mike igini, said the commission merely obeyed a court order.
"INEC is a creation of the law and where there is an order of the court, even if not properly given or given out of jurisdiction, the proper approach on the part of a lawful organisation is to abide by that order.
"Even when you disagree, you go to court to tell the court that you are wrong in this order.
"The principle of election all over the world is that elections are conducted where people are registered.
"You do not ask a body to conduct elections where people were not registered,’’ Igini said. (NAN)
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155557%3Abakassi-people-protest-against-exclusion-from-gubernatorial-election&catid=1%3Anews&Itemid=2
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