Nationalist Party deputy leader Robert Arrigo has likened the PN to COVID-19, saying the “virus has now spread” and that the party and its members have been “contaminated”. 

He was referring to the internal rifts within the party, which have seen a group of "rebel" MPs declare their lack of confidence in leader Adrian Delia in a vote. Their vote of no confidence was followed by a similar one from the party's executive.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Arrigo said: “long and useless meetings that leads [sic] to nowhere are our own downfall”. 

“It seems that besides the hatred shown towards the leader, I am now targeted by the klikka (clique) of rebels. Called a liar and asked to be side-lined and now a new scoop, an MP sending an e-mail to take over our media. 

“These are all part of a hostile takeover,” he said. 

The group of so-called rebel MPs, he said, are now meeting as a parliamentary group without leadership. 

“They already took over. Please do not let them take over by inheritance or bestowing. The party belongs to all. Such is the strength of the hatred that it makes me wonder if there is a gold mine hidden in some basement which is unknown to me,” the deputy leader went on. 

“Why is this situation? Why this takeover bid? I am eager to see what their next move is. My sincere appeal is to stay and go for a general election with no change yet with more work. Any alternative is just smoke. Please keep the party as is, and not as anybody's fiefdom.”

Arrigo files police report

Alleging there have been "data breaches" involving him, Arrigo said he has gone to the police commissioner to file a report but did not divulge any further details on the matter. 

The allegation is believed to be related to an internal PN survey of party council members, published by Times of Malta on Sunday, which showed that a relative majority wanted party leader Adrian Delia to step down. Delia responded to that by saying that the party had not commissioned any survey. 

In a statement issued later on Wednesday, a number of PN MPs said that there had been "absolutely no data theft". 

"Data being used to contact members of the PN general council was provided officially by the PN's electoral, records and data commission," the statement said. 

Party councillors are between Wednesday and Saturday voting to decide whether  Delia should face a confidence motion or if a new leadership race should be called.