The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akwa Ibom State has stepped down proceedings in its state collation centre, Uyo, because of non-arrival of results from Essien Udim Local Government Area.

The announcement of the result for the just concluded governorship election in the state started around 11 a.m., and continued till about 7: 30 p.m. before INEC stepped down proceedings.

Results have been announced for 30 out of the 31 local government areas in the state.

Essien Udim, where Godswill Akpabio, a senator from the state, comes from, is the only remaining local government area.

“We will step down proceedings to wait for the result from that local government area to arrive,” the spokesperson of INEC in the state, Don Etukudoh, told the audience at the collation centre.

“Hopefully, it will arrive in the next 30 minutes,” Mr Etukudoh said.

The area is about 30 minutes drive from Uyo, the state capital, to Essien Udim.

It is unclear why the result from the area has not been turned in, as INEC did not offer any explanation.

Mr Akpabio, a former governor of the state, is an All Progressives Congress (APC) senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West District.

The senator failed to win re-election for a second term in the recent general election.

From the result so far announced by INEC, the incumbent governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, has a comfortable lead over his main opponent, Nsima Ekere of the APC, and looks set to win.