Connacht IFA looks set for deadlock again over the nominations for the position of Regional Chairman.
All five counties in Connacht look like they will nominate a candidate for the position as Connacht IFA County Executives meet tonight and tomorrow.
It is understood that Tom Turley (Galway), Padraic Joyce (Mayo), John O’Beirne (Roscommon) and Eddie Davitt (Sligo) are to run again.
Leitrim IFA Vice-Chairman Des McHugh told Agriland that he is “strongly considering” running for the position again and that he is getting a lot of support.
Should all five decide to run, the region will be in deadlock again as each county only has one nomination. Earlier this month, the IFA ruled that there as no valid nomination for the Regional Chair position, despite four candidates and one with the necessary signature.
Galway IFA is to meet tonight (February 10), where it is expected that the incumbent Tom Turley will be nominated for the position.
Tomorrow night, Mayo IFA is to meet and Padraic Joyce said that he is hoping to be nominated again.
Sligo IFA is also to meet tomorrow night, where it is understood that Eddie Davitt will be going forward for the position.
Leitrim IFA will meet tomorrow night also, where it will be decided if Des McHugh will stand for the Connacht job.
The deadline for nominations for the position of Connacht Chair is this Friday, February 12 at 5.30pm.
Connacht Regional Wrangling
After several weeks of wrangling in Connacht, a new process for nominations was called for by the IFA Rules Committee after it found that there were no valid nominations for the Connacht job on February 3 – the deadline for Deputy President and Regional Chairmen nominations.
The three Deputy Presidential candidates and three of the four Regional Chair nominations were accepted.
A Connacht candidate now must secure a fresh nomination by his own County Executive, endorsed by the signed support of one and not more than one Chairman of another County Executive in the region.
National Returning Officer Jer Bergin said that this was to ensure that there is no advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or county in the process.