By OKEY NDIRIBE
ABUJA—Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has dismissed a report that it had been stopped from proceeding with the governorship election in Cross River State on Saturday.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Kayode Idowu, said: “Contrary to a widely circulated report that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has stopped the Cross River State governorship election scheduled for Saturday from going ahead, INEC hereby affirms that there is no such order.

“This clarification becomes necessary against the background of the report that the court restrained INEC from going ahead with the governorship election through an order issued in Abuja on February 20, 2012.

“For avoidance of doubt, INEC has not been served with the purported court order. The Commission indeed took the pain to check with the Court today (yesterday), whether there was such an order. The court categorically denied issuing the said order. Actually, neither has the court summoned INEC for defence on any date, as was widely reported.

“The Commission hereby calls on the public to be wary of interests that may want to stall the ongoing electoral processes through sensational reports of phantom court orders. “INEC commends Nigerians for keeping faith with the national quest for a credible and durable democracy, and hereby urges Cross River State residents to turn out en masse and exercise their franchise in the governorship election holding on Saturday.”