KOTA KINABALU: The delayed leadership transition in Upko will take place during the party's congress on Jan 14-15.
Upko vice-president Datuk Ewon Benedict will take over the presidency from Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, who last year agreed to step aside to allow for a smooth power transition.
The transition was supposed to have been endorsed at the party congress scheduled for Oct 15-16 but the congress was postponed after the general election was called.
Ewon, 39, won the Penampang parliament seat on a Pakatan Harapan ticket while the waning political fortune of Madius also swung back when he retained the Tuaran parliamentary seat on the Pakatan ticket.
Madius, who lost to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah's Datuk Joniston Bangkuai in the Kiulu state seat who in the 2020 state election, came back strongly to retain the Tuaran parliamentary seat last week defeating hot favourite Bangkuai.
Ewon, who is Kadamaian assemblyman, defeated two-term Penampang incumbent Datuk Darell Leiking, the Parti Warisan deputy president.
Upko in a statement Thursday (Nov 24) said the congress will be held at the Sabah Cultural Centre in Penampang and would be opened by Pakatan chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
