THE DUP was last night seeking to down play the impact of a mass resignation of party officers in South Down.
Seven constituency stalwarts, including DUP founding members Roland Wilson and Fergus Bingham, left the party earlier this week before backing TUV candidate Harold McKee, a former Ulster Unionist MLA.
The association officers' resignation comes a fortnight after veteran DUP MLA Jim Wells quit the party over the selection of Diane Forsythe as its South Down candidate.
Ms Forsythe, an accountant who has left her job to run in the assembly campaign, is a supporter of DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
Mr Wilson, the former association chairman, said he could not "under any circumstances" support the DUP candidate, a daughter of fellow Donaldson ally Glyn Hanna.
"The party asks our members to raise money to fund the central activities of the DUP, pay election expenses, put up posters and knock doors and the least we expect in return is that one of our communications about such an important issue was answered," Mr Wilson said.
"Local members have been treated with disdain and had a candidate imposed upon us who we could never endorse."
TUV leader Jim Allister said the "groundswell" of support for Harold McKee was "very gratifying".
"It is now clear that Harold is now the candidate of choice for principled unionists right across the spectrum," he said.
However, a statement from the DUP warned the dissidents that they risked splitting the unionist vote and handing Sinn Féin victory in next week's poll.
"Only the DUP can win – on the doorsteps unionist voters across South Down are crying out for unity," the statement said.
"Further splits and rancour in unionism serves no useful purpose."
Former first minister Paul Givan said he was confident the DUP candidate in South Down will get elected.
Mr Givan said he was "sorry" to lose the party officers.
"I am confident, though, in South Down, the unionist community where they know there's only one unionist seat. They know the risks of splitting their vote in that constituency and I believe that Diane Forsythe will get elected," he told the BBC.
"Because every vote for the DUP is going to matter, not just in South Down but it's going to matter right across Northern Ireland so that we can pursue our progressive agenda whenever it comes to delivering at Stormont."
Among the others to resign from the DUP were association vice-chairman David Herron, former councillor and association secretary William Burns, youth wing activist Clifford Wilson, association chairman Garth Craig, and his wife Olive Craig, a member for more than 40 years.
