INEC could have printed the result sheet before it was ordered by the court to publish Mr Udofia's name as APC's candidate.

The name of the INEC-recognised governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Akwa Ibom State, Akanimo Udofia, is conspicuously missing from the result sheet of Saturday's governorship election.

"Number six, no name - APC - 129, 602," a professor and INEC Returning Officer, Emmanuel Adigio, read while announcing the results of the governorship election at the state Collation Centre in Uyo, the state capital.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had about a week before the election listed Mr Udofia as the APC candidate for the state following an order of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Mr Udofia was recognised by INEC for the first time after emerging as the winner of a controversial primary held about 10 months ago. The controversial primary election was not monitored by INEC as required by the law.

His name could have gone missing from the result sheet possibly because INEC had printed the document before it was ordered by the court to publish Mr Udofia's name as APC's candidate.

Umo Eno, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been declared the winner of the election.

Mr Eno won in 29 of the 31 local government areas in the state with a total of 354,348 votes to defeat his top challenger, Bassey Albert of the Young Progressives Party (YPP). Mr Albert won in two local government areas after scoring 136,262 votes.

Mr Udofia came third in the race with 129,602 votes.

Meanwhile, the candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), John Akpanudoedehe, and of the Labour Party, Uduakobong Udoh, scored 12,509 and 4,746 votes respectively.

Mr Adigio gave the total number of registered voters in the state as 2,357,418 out of which 657,959, representing about a quarter, were accredited for the exercise.

He also gave the total valid votes cast as 656,422 out of which 12,342 were rejected votes, while 644,080 were valid votes.