Cross River State Gover
nor, Senator Liyel Imoke has condemned in the strongest terms, the attack on the state secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party in Calabar on Monday.
An explosion, suspected to be a bomb, rocked the PDP secretariat along the Murtala Mohammed Highway in Calabar at about 5.30am on Monday.
This came just ýas the party was getting set to conduct its fresh ward congresses across the state, following the cancellation of the November 1, exercise.
Imoke who bemoaned the incident, vowed not to allow political desperados take the state back ýto its inglorious past that was characterized by political thuggery, all in their attempt for political power.
A statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Ita,quoted the governor as saying that he had always stood for peace.
It read in part, “In my almost eight years in office, I have always stood for peace, from when I contested as governor and had my elections annulled twice, Cross River has been the most peaceful state, as I never promoted violence or thuggery. I have always believed that no political office or position is worth the precious blood of any Cross Riverian.”
While decrying the unfortunate incident, Imoke said,  “So, this new dimension by criminals and new entrants into our politics to import violence into our state is totally alien to the very ideals and values we stand for as a people and must be stoutly resisted by all of us.”
The governor therefore, gave the marching orders to the state police high command to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly actý and make them face the law.
Imoke pledged that his administration will do everything within the law to sustain the peace and harmony enthroned in the state since his assumption of office in 2007.
He described those behind the attack as unconscionable ýenemies of the state who would not be allowed to get away with the crime.
“Evidently, perpetrators of the attack on the party secretariat cannot mean well for our peace loving people, hence their heinous attempt to rupture the prevailing peaceful ambience in our dear state. But we shall neither surrender nor succumb to any intimidation of any kind. Cross River State is greater than any narrow and selfish agenda of those desperately seeking to destabilize the state,” he said.
The governor charged politicians and leaders of thought in the state to roundly condemn the attempt to reintroduce thuggery in the state, even as he enjoined everyone to put the interest of state above personal ambitions.