New Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Edwin Poots is facing a string of resignations as Northern Irelands largest party continues to implode.
It is understood a number of DUP members, including elected representatives, will quit the party this week as the fallout over the ousting of former leader Arlene Foster intensifies. I will be resigning this week and there will be others too, said one elected representative.
It comes as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigates allegations the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), an illegal loyalist group, issued sinister threats to a leadership contenders campaign team in a bid to thwart the result.
Jeffrey Donaldson, a Lagan Valley MP, made the claim as Mr Poots was being ratified as leader during a fractious, private DUP meeting in Belfast last week.
One party member who was in attendance accepted there can be legitimate lobbying by loyalists, but what Jeffrey was referring to was not ambiguous in any way.
Its understood the basis of some of the complaints revolve around intimidating and threatening messages sent to senior members of the DUP who are close to Mr Donaldson.
According to sources, the words youre next were among the alleged threats directed at members of Donaldsons team, while other exchanges were made on the phone and email.
A PSNI spokeswoman said: Police have received a complaint that a number of members of a political party had been threatened during a recent leadership campaign.
The Sunday Independent previously reported how the UDAs shadowy figures had deployed bully-boy tactics by threatening DUP members to sign a letter of no confidence in Ms Foster.
It was claimed that several loyalists helped to enlist support by reminding some MLAs that if they did not sign the motion, their seats at next years Assembly election would be in jeopardy.
During Mr Poots acceptance speech several prominent DUP members, including Mr Donaldson and Diane Dodds left the meeting on Thursday night.
In a further twist, Ms Fosters close friend and colleague in her Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency, Paul Bell, dramatically resigned from the party after Mr Poots ratification.
Mr Bell warned the DUP will lose thousands of votes over the recent course of events.
We cannot go round the doors, the people in Fermanagh and South Tyrone will vote for anyone but the DUP. That is because, not of an election, but because of what took place before the election, he said.
A party divided, a police probe and several resignations within the next week are not the only issues Poots must deal with.
His choice of first minister and how he responds to outstanding issues such as the implementation of Irish language legislation and the Northern Ireland protocol will be watched closely by Sinn Féin, his partners in government.
Its important to remember the majority of parties and ministers in the Executive do not support his position, a Sinn Féin source said.
The source said the party has not ruled out refusing to nominate a deputy first minister after Poots proposes Ms Fosters replacement, who is believed to be former communities minister Paul Givan.
He is partly blamed for the collapse of the devolved institutions four years ago, when he and his officials cut funding for an Irish language initiative and forced an early election.
I am hearing September mooted for a potential election, said another source.
In Dublin, Mr Poots first few weeks will be watched closely by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who is expected to speak to the DUP leader about the contentious issue of the protocol.
Speaking after his election as leader, Mr Poots claimed relationships between Belfast and Dublin are really, really bad.
Meanwhile, the British-Irish Council will take place in Co Fermanagh next month, where Mr Martin, along with the UK governments Michael Gove and Scotlands Nicola Sturgeon, will meet with leaders from Wales, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Northern Ireland.
However, who will be leading Stormont remains to be seen as Ms Foster, who is still first minister, has threatened to quit this Tuesday weeks earlier than planned if Mr Poots names her successor.