A bomb explosion occurred in the early hours of Monday at the secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Calabar, Cross River, the State Police Command has confirmed.

Hogan Bassey, the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in a statement said that an Improvised Explosive Device was detonated by “hoodlums who were unable to penetrate the heavily fortified PDP Secretariat” on Monday.

According to him, “Early today, 24th November at about 0535 hours, hoodlums who were unable to penetrate the heavily fortified secretariat by officers and men of the Command, threw an explosive device from behind the premises into the building.

“The explosion only shattered some louvres on the ground floor. No life was lost nor anybody sustain injury. The Police anti-bomb Squad has cordoned off the area.”

Also speaking on the incident, PDP Chairman in the State, John Okon, said the party secretariat would no longer be used for the ward congress.

“I understand they threw in a bomb or dynamite or something.

“The police are there and the anti-bomb squad are on the way.

“We will not be able to use the secretariat for the ward congresses.

“We would be using the Presidential Lodge.

“All the electoral officers are collecting their materials and going to the field.

“The windows and other things inside the office were destroyed,” Okon stated.

The Director-General of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba Campaign Organisation, Ernest Irek, had this to say about the incident:

“They are militarising a simple thing as ward congresses and chasing away party members.”