The suspension of Uche Secondus as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has factionalised the major opposition political party in the country.
On Monday, a high court in Rivers State barred Mr Secondus from parading himself as the honcho of the PDP, pending its verdict on a matter brought before it by some aggrieved members of the party.
On Tuesday, the party became factionalised with camps laying claim to the vacant position the court order created.
While the deputy national chairman of the party from the South, Yemi Akinwonmi, is leading a faction, his counterpart from the North, Suleiman Nazif, heads another faction.
The two factions are parading themselves as the authentic replacement for the suspended chairman.
Prior to this, a protest erupted earlier at the national secretariat of the party, with demonstrators pledging solidarity with the Secondus-led leadership. Governor Nyesom Wike was accused by the protesters as being responsible for the ousting of the PDP leader.
The fight in the opposition party might not be unconnected to the next general election.
Though not factionalised yet, a similar scenario is also playing out in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) with some aggrieved members calling for the dissolution of the present caretaker committee headed by Governor Mai Mala-Buni of Yobe State.
