The Independent anti-agreement unionist candidate in Fermanagh-South Tyrone, Mr Jim Dixon, has said he is considering re-entering the electoral race following his sudden withdrawal on Tuesday.
Mr Dixon, a survivor of the Enniskillen bomb, withdrew his candidacy, allegedly for health reasons, before claiming that a "smear campaign" was being conducted against him by "fellow unionists".
Last night, however, Mr Dixon said he had received "an avalanche of public support" which might yet lead him to change his mind. Despite calls by the Ulster Unionist candidate, Mr James Cooper, to "discuss in confidence the substance of any allegations", Mr Dixon refused to be drawn on the nature of the alleged smear.
It is believed, however, that the allegations might be linked to a burglary in Mr Dixon's home in January. The RUC yesterday confirmed it was following several lines of inquiry into the burglary.
The DUP candidate in the constituency, Mr Maurice Morrow, who had withdrawn his candidacy to give Mr Dixon a clear run, yesterday predicted there would be a "shock" anti-agreement candidate in the constituency. "You won't have to look very far. It is somebody very prominent in the constituency, just watch," he told the BBC.
It is believed the party is in touch with a leading Fermanagh businessman, who is also a senior figure in the Orange Order, although there has been no indication whether the person approached would be prepared to run. Mr Morrow also called on Mr Cooper to withdraw his candidacy to avoid a split in the unionist vote.
"It is much better to unite unionists in the constituency; therefore personalities are not the issue. That's why I am asking James Cooper now: `Step back - you can't unite unionists', " he said.
Mr Cooper, who is currently the only unionist to stand in the constituency, rejected any calls for his withdrawal, claiming the DUP was "scratching around" for an anti-agreement candidate.
"Having shamelessly manipulated Jim Dixon they are now looking around, scratching around in my view, for another candidate, not even their own candidate [Mr Morrow]," he added. The UUP candidate said he "unequivocally" condemned anybody involved in personal attacks on Mr Dixon. "He has been a tremendously resolute representative of the victims of terrorism and I think to see him damaged in this way is dreadful . . . I have made efforts to contact Jim to express my support and sympathy. However, it is clear from the sequence of his press statements that there is no evidence that my party is involved in the matter," he stated.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said he had no evidence that anybody in his party was involved in a smear campaign against Mr Dixon, adding that he deplored any kind of a foray into "gutter politics".
The allegation comes less than a week after a UUP candidate, Mr Leslie Cree, pulled out of the North Down selection contest after receiving a letter threatening to reveal he had fathered a child prior to meeting his wife.
The Sinn Fein candidate for Fermanagh-South Tyrone, Ms Michelle Gildernew, said her party was not interested in internal unionist disputes, preferring to focus on nationalist voters who had been "misrepresented for 18 years" by the sitting UUP MP, Mr Ken Maginnis.
Meanwhile, the UUP has gained an unexpected lead in the local council election after the DUP failed to nominate three candidates for Ards Borough Council. Consequent ly, only six nominees stand for six council seats, resulting in all of them - three UUP candidates, two DUP candidates and one from the Alliance Party - being elected unopposed.