Cllr Sean Gilliland has confirmed to Northern Sound that he will not put his name forward in the upcoming Fine Gael convention.
The Ballybay man was re-elected back in June after he garnered 1,444 votes, passing the established quota is 1,411 on the fourth count.
He says contesting the general election would be a wonderful opportunity but he believes this isn’t the right time for him at this stage.
Cllr Gilliland said he received a lot of support from people across the region offering him their backing following declaring his interest on the Wider View programme on Northern Sound on Monday.
The Fine Gael Councillor said contesting the General Election would be something that he would be interested in doing one day in the future.
It comes after that shock announcement by Minister Heather Humphreys over the weekend that she won't contest the upcoming General Election.
Fine Gael are holding their convention for Cavan and Monaghan this Friday in the Kilmore Hotel.
