The federal Conservative party has suspended the riding executive that backed ousted Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey.

By appointing an interim board in its place, the national council overruled members of the Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley riding board who refused to pick a candidate Sunday.

"I'm hoping that they will be thinking this through carefully and making a choice that they will come out and support the party," said Don Plett, president of the national council.

Casey, the longtime MP for the region, was kicked out of the Conservative caucus in June for voting against his party's budget, which he said broke the promises laid out under a 2005 offshore oil and gas accord.

The local riding executive declared its support for Casey at an emergency meeting last week.

Not long after, the national council unanimously declared the nomination to be vacant, saying only members in "good standing" with the Conservative caucus can run. Casey showed he had no confidence in his own leader or caucus by going against the party, it said.

At a meeting Sunday in Wentworth, the local board decided to call a general meeting to let all Conservatives in the riding decide who will run for the party in the next federal election.

"We support the Conservative party, up and down the line. But there are a lot of people on our board that have strong feelings and strong support for Mr. Casey as our candidate, so we are truly at an impasse," said riding association president Scott Armstrong.

Plett said the national council had no choice but to step in again Sunday.

"It is unworkable when you have a board that is not committed to one thing and one thing only, and that is to electing a member of Parliament in the Conservative Party of Canada," he said.

Over the next few weeks, the interim board will focus exclusively on finding a new Conservative candidate for the riding, Plett added.

A new riding executive will be elected at the general meeting scheduled for Nov. 27.