KOTA KINABALU: Opposition Warisan has filed election petitions to challenge the official results of four constituencies in the just concluded Sabah election, says Datuk Loretto Padua.
The party's secretary-general confirmed that Warisan and its candidates had filed the petitions to challenge the official results of the Tanjong Kapor, Pitas, Karambunai and Kunak.
Loretto did not disclose details of the petition only saying that petitions were based on election offences related to money politics, among others.
Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) incumbent Datuk Chong Chen Bin won Tanjong Kapor, GRS incumbent Datuk Rudy Awah took Pitas, while Perikatan Nasional’s Datuk Dr Aliakbar Gulasan from PAS won Karambunai and Barisan Nasional’s Datuk Anil Sandhu won Kunak.
Other petitions filed earlier challenged the results of Pitasan won by independent Datuk Fairuz Rendan and for the Sindumin seat won by Warisan’s Yusri Pungut.
GRS losing candidate Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia filed the petition in Pintasan while for Sindumin, a local voter filed a case of electoral irregularities based on a viral video allegedly showing an election officer crumpling a ballot paper.
Taking a different legal route, Naomi Francis, an independent candidate for Karanaan, has instead filed a judicial review to challenge incumbent Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun’s victory for the seat.
Naomi, in her suit filed at the Kota Kinabalu High Court, is seeking to nullify the Election Commission’s declaration of Masidi as winner and to order a fresh election.
It is understood that several other losing candidates from various parties have filed election petitions over the results of the Nov 29 Sabah election. The last day to file the election petition was Dec 27.
However, according to sources, no announcements were made by some of them in view of the formation of the unity government led by GRS under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor following the hung results with no party obtaining a clear 37-seat simple majority.
GRS won 29 of the 73 seats and forged a coalition with Barisan (six seats), Upko (three seats) and Pakatan Harapan (one seat) to form the state unity government while other winners from the opposition Sabah STAR (two seats), PN-PAS (one seat), Parti KDM (one seat) and five independents are now backing the unity government.
Warisan remains the sole opposition with its 25 assemblymen.
