KOTA KINABALU: UMNO has announced its candidates for the Sabah state election.
As anticipated, former state assemblyman Datuk James Ligunjang said UMNO did not field candidates in the state seats of Senallang and Sulabayan, currently held by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Datuk Jaujan Sandukong.
Both seats fall under the parliamentary constituency of Semporna, which is represented by Shafie Apdal, he said.
“Interestingly, UMNO did nominate a candidate for the Sulaman state assembly seat, currently held by Chief Minister Hajiji Hj Noor of GRS.
“This move strongly suggests a close collaboration between UMNO and Warisan,” he said in his latest social media post.
According to Ligunjang, Senallang and Sulabayan were historically strongholds of UMNO, which raises questions among political analysts as to why UMNO chose not to contest these seats under the Semporna parliamentary constituency, held by Shafie Apdal.
He said such strategic decisions highlight the cooperation between UMNO and Warisan, aligning with their shared vision in the Langkah Kinabalu initiative.
Ligunjang said this partnership reinforces the popular saying among Sabahans, ‘Undi Warisan, Undi UMNO’, indicating that voters often see the two parties as working hand-in-hand.
