DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not encourage his colleague Edwin Poots to switch constituencies to stand in South Down just days before party officers rejected his nomination.
Sir Jeffrey insisted it is not his job to determine which candidate will stand in which constituency for the Assembly elections.
Last Friday night, DUP party officers selected Diane Forsythe as the candidate for South Down ahead of Mr Poots, Stormont's current agriculture minister, who was attempting to switch to the constituency from Lagan Valley.
