STORMONT appears to be heading towards collapse rather than adjournment today.
The SDLP was locked in internal party talks last night about how to vote in today’s business committee meeting.
However, indications were that the nationalist party would vote against the DUP adjournment motion.
With only Alliance expected to support the DUP motion and the likelihood that the SDLP, Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists voting against, hope that an adjournment would provide space to find a solution appeared to be dashed.
If the committee votes against adjournment, then it will fall to the British government to enact emergency legislation to suspend Stormont or the DUP will remove its ministers from the Executive, triggering a collapse.
The heightened crisis came after detectives investigating the murder of Kevin McGuigan arrested three senior republicans, including Bobby Storey, Sinn Féin's northern chairman.
Officers continued to question Mr Storey, Eddie Copeland and Brian Gillen, last night.
Both governments appealed to the political parties to save the institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement.
The Republic's minister for foreign affairs, Charlie Flanagan said the north's political leaders needed to "pull back from the brink."
"A collapse of the power-sharing institutions will serve no useful purpose," he said.
"The political talks now underway provide a critical opportunity to address genuine political concerns in a meaningful way and move forward positively in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland."
Prime Minister David Cameron made an emotional appeal.
He described the creation of the power-sharing arrangements as "one of the most inspiring things that I've seen as a human being and a politician, to see politicians put aside their differences, put aside concerns about appalling things that have happened in the past and decide to work together.
"The appeal I would make to all of you is, please, have that spirit in mind, it was an amazing thing you all did in Northern Ireland when you formed that administration and that assembly.
"We'll do everything we can to help you but let us think of the nobler processes and the great noble principles that were put in place in the past, and let's do it again."
