WITHDRAWN SEANAD CANDIDATE John McNulty has thanked all of the people who have been sending “message of support and good will” to him and his family following his exit from the race.

McNulty took himself out of the running after controversy over his appointment to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) just six days before he was confirmed as Fine Gael’s nominee for the Seanad by-election.

However it emerged yesterday that a lot of people on the government benches have already voted for him and their ballots cannot be reissued. McNulty is now in the unusual position of having to ask TDs and Senators, who make up the electorate, NOT to vote for him.

This morning, Today FM reports that a source close to the withdrawn nominee said that he has been flooded with calls from colleagues asking him to re-enter the race. They also said that, if elected, he would consider taking the seat.

Meanwhile, Arts Minister Heather Humpheys is continuing to feel the heat, as she refuses to publicly say who in Fine Gael mentioned McNulty as a candidate for the position on the board in the first place.

She was, at the time, aware that he was being considered as a candidate for the Fine Gael nomination, but has stressed that he was given his place on the board because of his credentials.

Read: Heather Humphreys had another bad afternoon answering questions on ‘McNulty-gate’>

More: It turns out ‘an awful lot of people’ have already voted for John McNulty>