Of all the housemates on the Big Brother Naija show this season, the one person that seems relatively unwise to offend is Pere. Since the start of the show, Pere has been the archetype of a Big Brother Naija contestant. He has been a force on the show owing to his peculiar nature. Pere can be described as smart, perceptive, controversial, fun, and sociable. However, the one unique character he possess is his ability to intimidate.

Pere has proven time and again that anyone who gets on his bad side is in for a bumpy ride. He is an imposing figure who has both the moxie and the presence to change the mood in the entire house, and get everyone upset. He also has the brains to do this without jeopardising his chances of winning.

Last night, Saga seemed to have started this bumpy ride with Pere. His words Saturday, to Nini when he berated Pere and called him all sorts, came back hard to bite him. Now, he is stuck with the possibility of rivaling someone he’d rather not. This is particularly true, if you consider that Pere has a strong fanbase outside, in contrast to Saga’s fan strength.

“Pere is always instigating things. He is lonely and is exhibiting suicidal behaviours.” Saga said to Nini as they laid in bed laughing, after the Saturday night party. However, during the Sunday night live eviction show, Saga said something entirely different when Ebuka brought up the subject. “Talk to me about Pere.” Ebuka demanded. “Pere is my guy, he is my good friend, but then I don’t always agree with him, but he is my good friend.” Saga said to Ebuka. “Sounds a little different from what you said last night.” Ebuka replied.

The shock on Pere’s face said it all, especially considering that Pere once used his power as head of house to save Saga from possible eviction. It goes without saying that Pere felt betrayed, and since last night, Saga and Nini have been on a mission to do damage control. When Saga conversed with Pere about the whole debacle, he made it more about Maria than Pere himself. He told Pere that he and Nini spoke about his relationship with Maria and some of the toxicities in it.

While deception is part of the game, it’s not a very wise move to play a deceptive game with someone more deceptive than you. Its almost certain now that Saga’s relationship with Pere is broken, and Pere will most likely retaliate, when he learn the truth. However, it would be truly interesting to see if Saga can wiggle his way out of this one unscathed, managing to play the player himself.

Chinedu Okafor

For Chinedu Okafor, its all about making an impact with words,  creating a profound impression on the audience with the intended narrative.