Rahman Dahlan says he is back in the fray for GE15

Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

KOTA KINABALU: After losing in the 2018 national polls, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan says he will be making a comeback in the 15th General Election (GE).

The Umno supreme council member won the Kota Belud seat in 2008 and 2013 but lost the Sepanggar parliamentary seat to Parti Warisan's Datuk Azis Jamman in 2018.

"I lost the last time because I was removed from Kota Belud and asked to stand in Sepanggar, two months before elections. I knew the result was going to be disastrous.

"Anyway, that is the past. The party still wants me to offer myself as a candidate," he said when met on the sidelines of a Petronas event on Friday (Aug 26).

When asked which seat he is eyeing, he replied: "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I have some areas that fit my objectives but I can't name them now," he said.

When asked about Sabah Umno's chances, Abdul Rahman said that it would be a unique situation as Sabah would not be holding state and federal elections simultaneously.

He also said Sabah Umno had "the best of both worlds" as it acts and works like a local state-based party, but has strong connections to the Federal Government.

"This is what the people of Sabah want – a party they see is dominated by local agenda but at the same time not completely disconnected from the Federal Government," he said.

On another matter, he said Umno never asked for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be exonerated, only that he was given a fair trial.

"There was never a request for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob or anybody to drop the case," he said, adding that the believed many Sabahans still think of Najib as one of the greatest prime ministers who had helped Sabah in many ways.

"Najib is popular in Sabah, he visited this state much more frequently than any other state.

"He has been very good to Sabah, many projects were done here, in particular the Pan-Borneo Highway," said Abdul Rahman.