The Fiji Labour Party vice president and cabinet minister, Krishna Datt, has accused Mahendra Chaudhry of nepotism in drawing up his controversial list of senate nominees.
Mr Datt has told Fiji TV that Mr Chaudhry's list has the names of his close relatives.
He says the party has been blamed for nepotism in the past and they did not want this to happen again.
That is why Mr Datt's group, which includes fellow cabinet minister Poseci Bune and three other management board members, drew up an alternative senate list and sent it to President Iloilo.
Mr Datt says they did this to save the party and Mahendra Chaudhry from embarrassment.
He says the people have not been told the full story yet about who on Mr Chaudhry's list is connected to whom and what those connections are.
Mr Datt they will defend their actions against threats of disciplinary action and expulsion.
He says the problems in the party stem from differences over how his group believes the multi-party cabinet should work and how Mr Chaudhry believes it should work.
