Fianna Fáil TDs and senators were put under "extensive pressure" to back Jim Gavin by Micheál Martin and Jack Chambers, a TD has said.
Cork East TD James O’Connor said Mr Gavin "should have never found himself on the ballot paper" after he withdrew from the presidential race amid a dispute with a former tenant.
Representatives from inside and out of the party described the development as a "complete shambles".
In a statement, Mr O'Connor said the party must "resolutely address our mistakes and political misjudgements" from the campaign, as he questioned the judgement of Fianna Fáil leader Mr Martin and deputy leader Mr Chambers
He said many colleagues believed nominating Mr Gavin was a "serious risk" due to his "glaring lack" of political experience.
In a post on X, he accused the leadership of making a "serious miscalculation" by not listening to these concerns.
"Jim Gavin should have never found himself on the ballot paper.
"He was there due to the extensive pressure put on Fianna Fáil TDs and Senators by Micheál Martin and Jack Chambers. They repeatedly phoned each member of the parliamentary party in the days before the selection convention on the 9th of September."
— James O'Connor TD (@JamesOConnorTD) October 7, 2025
Mr Gavin was selected to run for Fianna Fáil against Fine Gael choice Heather Humphreys and Independent Catherine Connolly, who has the backing of Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats and Labour.
However, he withdrew late on Sunday night after being dogged by questions about claims he owed a former tenant more than €3,000.
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Mr Gavin, an aviation official who was formerly a military pilot and Dublin Gaelic football manager, withdrew from the contest after acknowledging he "made a mistake".
The Irish Independent reported claims from a tenant who said he had failed to recover more than €3,000 in overpaid rent from Mr Gavin 16 years ago.
Issue raised in 'generic and general way'
The Taoiseach said claims that Fianna Fáil knew about Mr Gavin's issue with a specific tenant before selecting him as the party's presidential candidate were "not a fair representation of the situation at all".
Speaking on his way into Government Buildings this morning, Micheal Martin said: "An issue was raised, but in a very generic and general way.
"We were not aware of any such issue, and that is the truth of it, and when the issue was raised repeatedly, we were told it was no issue."
Mr Martin said it was an "inaccurate construct to put on it" to state the party was aware of the issue earlier than when the tenant themselves "rang on Saturday".
Asked about Mr Gavin's name remaining on the presidential ballot paper, Mr Martin said: "That’s just the reality of how things have worked out. It’s very unfortunate."
The Fianna Fáil leader said the party had outlined all the reasons why Mr Gavin had to withdraw from the campaign.
Also speaking outside Government Buildings, the party's director of elections for the Presidential Election defended the vetting process carried out on Mr Gavin.
Jack Chambers said: "Fianna Fáil headquarters did a very comprehensive and robust due diligence process before his election as a candidate, any questions or queries that came to the party's press office were put to Jim Galvin, and he was absolutely clear on having no issues relating to a tenant.
"It's only what evolved over the weekend where obviously the difference of what was stated before and what emerged became absolutely clear. So there was absolute and full due diligence was done."
Call for full and frank review of selection process
Fianna Fáil MEP for Midlands North West Barry Cowen said a full and frank review of the process in selecting Mr Gavin as the party's presidential candidate needs to be carried out.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Cowen said he was not satisfied with the process that led up to the final decision and said there should be a more inclusive process that allows councillors and party members to engage fully in it.
Mr Cowen said he can understand why Mr Martin wanted to reach out beyond the party base in order to win the election.
However, he said, in doing so, he may have lost sight of the talent and experience already within Fianna Fáil, and the difficulties in motivating the grassroots to support someone the party was less familiar with.
Mr Cowen said he had supported Billy Kelleher in the nomination contest and that while Mr Gavin came highly recommended, he did not know him personally, but has worked closely with Mr Kelleher and knew his ability to engage with the public.
Mr Cowen said he respects Independent candidate Catherine Connolly, but he fundamentally disagrees with her on Ireland's place in the world and Europe.
I personally will be supporting [Fine Gael's] Heather Humphreys, he said.
Additional reporting Colman O'Sullivan
