An explosion has occurred at the secretariat of the Action Peoples Party (APP) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, raising concerns about political violence in the region.
The incident happened early Monday morning at the party's state office located along the GRA axis of Port Harcourt. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud blast around 1 am, suggesting the use of dynamite.
The explosion shattered windows, damaged doors, and destroyed other property belonging to the party. It also caused damage to the ceiling and fittings inside the building, leaving the party leadership and members in a state of panic.
Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the Rivers State police command, confirmed the explosion and stated that a bomb disposal unit has been deployed to the scene. She added that it is too early to determine if the blast was caused by a bomb.
The police have initiated an investigation into the incident, and further details will be made public once the investigation concludes. The extent of the damage was not significant, according to Iringe-Koko.
This explosion comes on the heels of a similar incident in June, which occurred near the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, amidst protests by political leaders against police occupation of the 23 local government area (LGA) secretariats.
Following the June incident, Governor Siminalayi Fubara suggested that those advocating for emergency rule in the state might have been responsible for the attack.
The leadership of the APP at the national level has condemned the explosion, describing it as an act of terrorism, and has urged the authorities to investigate the incident.
