KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional’s dissident Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (pic) Putatan’s seat victory at the general election is set to be challenged by losing Pakatan Harapan’s candidate Awang Husaini Sahari.
Husaini filed the election petition through lawyer Nelson Anggang to challenge the results.
The election saw Shahelmey winning with a 124-vote majority in the four-cornered contest during the 15th General Election (GE15) in November 2022.
Shahelmey garnered 16,234 to beat Husaini, who got 16,110 votes.
The other contenders - Parti Warisan’s Ahmad Mohd Said received 8,511 and Pejuang’s Patrick Payne picked up 394 votes.
Anggang said they had filed the election petition with the Kota Kinabalu High Court.
Shahelmey, last week broke ranks with Sabah Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin when he and five Barisan assemblymen supported Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor to remain as Chief Minister.
Bung Moktar had pulled out Sabah Barisan support for the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government led by Hajiji, who managed to rebuild his majority in the 79-member Sabah assembly with the support of Sabah Pakatan and five Barisan renegades.
Hajiji had appointed Shahelmey, the Tanjung Keramat assemblyman, as Deputy Chief Minister cum state Works Minister in his reshuffled Cabinet.
Umno is expected to take disciplinary action against the five Sabah Barisan-Umno renegades for their move against the state party’s decision.
Shahelmey, insists that he is still a member of Umno/Barisan.
The federal anti-hopping law might also affect Shahelmey’s Putatan seat if he leaves the party to solidify his support for the GRS government.
However, if he is sacked from the party, he will not lose the seat under the anti-hopping law.
Putatan election petition is among three petitions filed.
Upko’s outgoing president, Datuk Seri Madius Tangau’s victory in Tuaran is challenged by GRS’s Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) losing candidate Datuk Joniston Bangkuai in the six-cornered contest.
Madius won the seat with a 233-vote majority.
Parti KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony, whose nomination papers were rejected by the Tenom returning officer, has also filed an election petition challenging the results.
Independent Riduan Rubin won Tenom. He is KDM-friendly.
