John McNulty has resigned from the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) after just 13 days.

The Fine Gael candidate for the Seanad by-election says IMMA rules force him to stand down, now that he is seeking public office.

In a statement Mr McNulty says "I am stepping down from the IMMA board with immediate effect, in accordance with IMMA's internal rules, which preclude me from being a board member and contesting an election at the same time."

"I will continue to be a member of IMMA, and an active supporter of their work. I look forward to continuing my election campaign, for a seat in the Seanad," he added.

Meanwhile the Taoiseach Enda Kenny has denied ordering the Arts Minister Heather Humphreys to appoint him in the first place.

Mr Kenny says he never tells ministers who to appoint.

Earlier, the Arts Minister Heather Humphreys refused to answer whether she knew John McNulty was being nominated for the Seanad when she appointed him to the board of IMMA.

Meanwhile the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin called for the Seanad by-election to be abandoned amid the controversy.

In a statement, Mr Martin said, "the first thing that the Taoiseach should do... is to apologise to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. This key cultural institution has been abused for straightforward internal Fine Gael party business reasons and it is not good enough."

"The next thing he should do is announce today that the bye election process to replace MEP Deirdre Clune has been suspended and that the process will begin again," he added.

He says "it's playing fast and loose with the rules."

Official objection

And it has been revealed an official objection to Mr McNulty's Seanad nomination was being brought by another candidate, Gerard Craughwell, a former Teachers' Union of Ireland president, who felt Mr McNulty's qualifications did not make him eligible.

However Mr Craughwell said he dropped the objection after being told that Mr McNulty was a member of the board of IMMA.

But Mr Craughwell told Newstalk Breakfast earlier he now wants the whole process revisited.

One of the Fine Gael members overlooked for the Seanad nomination secured by Mr McNulty has resigned from the party.

Samantha Long had been suggested by Fine Gael's national executive as a potential candidate. She says she does not agree with the protocols Fine Gael has in place for the election and the manner in which the issue has been handled:

Sinn Féin has described the nomination of Mr McNulty as 'stinking of cronyism' and called on Joan Burton to say if the party's TDs and Senators would vote for him in the by-election.

The Tánaiste Joan Burton has reiterated her stance that the "actual nomination is a matter for the Fine Gael party".

Originally posted at 7:51am