Councillor Maurice Devenney says he was pushed out by the DUP hierarchy
FORMER Foyle DUP MLA Maurice Devenney says he was “pushed out” of the party.
It had been rumoured for some months that Mr Devenney was not the party choice to fight the Foyle constituency again.
His supporters have made it clear that DUP MLA Gary Middleton was the “Belfast leadership’s choice” and not the choice of the DUP grassroots in Foyle – a claim the party denies.
They claimed that two thirds of Foyle DUP members did not attend the selection meeting at which Gary Middleton was picked to run as the party candidate.
Now Maurice Devenney has added further fuel to the simmering flames inside DUP Foyle branch that he was no longer flavour of the month with party’s Belfast hierarchy.
Last month he was suspended from the party pending the outcome of an internal investigation into claims he actively encouraged DUP supporters to vote for Mark Durkan in the Foyle constituency in last May’s Westminster elections.
The Independent Derry councillor told the BBC: “In my term up there (at Stormont), I was put under pressure by some senior members of the DUP.”
When asked if he had effectively been pushed out by the DUP, he replied “very clearly”.
Maurice Devenney also responded to claims that he had brought the party into disrepute.
“I would refute that, definitely refute that. I had unionists that were coming up to me and saying quite clearly, we are tactically voting SDLP today to keep Sinn Fein out.”
Mr Devenney said that he “categorically” never told people to vote SDLP.
He said he did not appeal his suspension from the DUP because the ‘deal had already been done’.
When asked if he was angry about that decision the councillor said “yes”.
A DUP spokesman said:”Squabbles are generally of no interest to the electorate.”
The spokesman added: “There is only one Unionist seat in Foyle. The unionist people of Foyle deserve a good MLA.
“Even Maurice Devenney recognises that Gary Middleton is the best man for the job.”
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