Explosion after local primaries in Nigeria oil delta

An explosion hit the local headquarters of an opposition party in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta on Thursday shortly after delegates had finished holding state governorship primaries, a senior official said. The explosion at the Labour Party office in Bayelsa appeared to have been caused by dynamite and marked the latest act of political intimidation in the state ahead of nationwide elections in April, governorship candidate Timi Alaibe said. "We'd finished meeting but about 20-30 minutes after the police called us and told us that after we left there was an explosion," Alaibe told Reuters by telephone, adding nobody was injured as party members had already left. "These things are orchestrated to intimidate and we want to stop them," said Alaibe, who won the primary vote. Gunmen killed several supporters of Alaibe, who quit as presidential adviser on the Niger Delta to run in the Bayelsa election, during a gathering at his home last Friday. Two bombs also exploded during a rally in December.