KOTA KINABALU – Former independent candidate in the last State Election, Mohd Ismail Ayob, known as Miha, has been announced as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the upcoming by-election for the Lamag State Constituency.
Sabah BN Chairman, Datuk Jafry Ariffin, said that BN Sabah has chosen a unity candidate approach for the by-election in Lamag.
“This approach aligns with the principles of political governance that emphasize conflict reduction, consensus building, and stability as the foundation for administration and long-term state development.
“Based on these considerations, BN Sabah will nominate Mohd Ismail Ayob as a unity candidate through direct membership in BN,” he said during a media event at the UMNO Sabah Building here on Tuesday.
As the Chief of UMNO Sabah, he mentioned that this nomination is a politically institutional strategy aimed at strengthening broader cooperation, bridging political divides, and ensuring the continuity of the people’s development agenda without political uncertainty.
Jafry also acknowledged that this move is an effort to ease the political climate in the state.
“Because we have just finished a very intense political period, which has created a lot of hostility and so on.
“For me, we are taking a middle path to ensure that perhaps the people can see and we can help.
“The message is to ensure that the Lamag State Assembly is not left behind in the development flow. Moreover, their selection as a young candidate, as noted in the last PRN17, shows that young voters are a significant segment.
“So based on that, we also want to prepare successors for the future,” he said.
He also emphasized that the selection of this candidate signifies the continued autonomy of UMNO Sabah.
