EMBATTLED Councillor John O’Donnell has not ruled out contesting the forthcoming general election, even though his colleagues on Donegal County Council recently passed a motion calling for his resignation.
The Independent politician claimed he will be among the ‘front-runners’ should he allow his name to go forward. Last year he declared his intention to contest the election.
Speaking to the Donegal News on Tuesday, Cllr O’Donnell said he has the backing of his local supporters in the wake of last month’s RTÉ Investigates programme.
That programme inferred that the Kilmacrennan councillor asked for payment in return for helping out a fictitious windfarm company set up in Donegal.
Despite being filmed apparently asking for a payment to be made to a third party, the 34-year-old claims he was “entrapped” by the national broadcaster.
“I’m ruling nothing out and I’ll make a call on it shortly. I’ve a lot of supporters who are behind me – one hundred per cent,” he said.
“If anything this (RTE programme) will make me come back stronger than ever. My team is one hundred and ten per cent behind me. They’ve all seen that I have been wronged, but I need to get my head down now for a few days. It’s been a very tough month.
“Should I run I’ll be one of the front runners. The support is there and if I go I’ll give it a good rattle. At the moment, I’m just getting back on my feet again and going back to doing what I do best – working for the people of Donegal and giving it one hundred per cent
“My main priority this week is getting my legal challenge in place against RTE. I’m taking them to the High Court. It was total entrapment on their part and we’ll see what happens then. I’m ruling nothing out when it comes to the election at this stage. It will all become clearer in the coming weeks,” Cllr O’Donnell said.
On Wednesday, Cllr O’Donnell was ordered by a judge to appear at the district court in Letterkenny on February 3 regarding his failure to pay a €33,000 compena
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