McElduff election nomination rejected by Sinn Fein

SINN Fein has declined the nomination of Barry McElduff  (pictured) for selection as a candidate for West Tyrone  in next year’s Stormont Assembly election.

The UH understands that the veteran Carrickmore politician was being nominated as one of the party’s three candidates for the poll, and had consented to let his name go forward.

A West Tyrone selection convention is taking place next week when delegates are expected to ratify Maloisa McHugh, Declan McAleer and Nicola Brogan as the Sinn Fein ticket for the 2022 poll.

But the party is understood to have told the Cumann which nominated Mr McElduff, that it was unable to accept a nomination of a ‘male comrade’ where a sitting female MLA is also seeking the nomination.

Also, that a nomination has been received from another Cumann locally for Nicola Brogan.

The party cited  the Sinn Fein candidate selection regulations which state that a sitting female TD, MLA or councillor can only be replaced by a female challenger. When contacted by the UH  this week, Mr McElduff, who is currently an Omagh Town councillor on Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, declined to comment. However, the nominating Cuman described him as a ‘mainstay’ of the area for decades.

Mr McElduff was elected as MLA for West Tyrone at the 2017 poll. He then moved into the position of MP following the retirement of Pat Doherty later that year.