Just when it seemed like Nigeria’s former ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might have been turning into a more able and cohesive opposition party after the elections fallout, a new crisis has hit the party, Nigeria Politics & Security reports. The party’s move to sack half of its workers and cut the pay of the remaining half by 50% has backfired, as the workers have queried the party’s claim that it had no money.

Employees, in a letter addressed to the party’s national secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, questioned how the party could be bankrupt, considering that in the last quarter of 2014, the party made N12 billion (US$60 million) from sales of nomination forms and delegate fees. But Olisa Metuh, the PDP spokesperson, quickly responded, accusing the workers of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to attack the party. This response did not go down well with the workers.

In a statement, signed by the chairperson of the workers’ association, Ngozi Nze, and its secretary, Dan Ochu-Baiye, the workers made several allegations against Metuh. One of these was that he had worked against Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign, because he had not been selected to lead the presidential campaign team. The PDP’s current crisis is its worst since becoming an opposition party, with speculation that the party’s leadership may be sacked over the allegations.

To add to the party’s difficulties, it is also affected by problems in its Bayelsa State chapter. The crisis, which has been caused by several party members defecting to the APC, has forced the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP to convene a meeting with former president Jonathan – who is from Bayelsa State – in his country home at Otuoke (Bayelsa State) to try to resolve the issues. The PDP has had difficulties in Bayelsa State since the elections campaign because of the role of the former first lady Patience Jonathan in the state’s politics. The relationship between Patience Jonathan and Bayelsa governor Seriake Dickson is famously tense, with Dickson earlier this year asking Patience to stay out of state politics. Although the Bayelsa remains a PDP stronghold, the difficulties affecting the state are unlikely to strengthen its Bayelsa chapter.