He said he sympathised with the current situation Boniface found himself in but did not want to comment further on the matter.

“I really sympathise with him. He is one of the PKR leaders in Sarawak. We will really miss him as he has demonstrated great leadership.

“He is a man of integrity and that is why he served well as vice-chairman,” he told a press conference here today.

Baru also declined to comment on Boniface’s accusation that PKR was subservient to DAP in the seat negotiations for the upcoming state election that ended last week.

“I’ve no comment on that. I think he has given his perspectives on things and I really sympathise with the situation he is in,” Baru said.

Seat negotiations, headed by PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali and DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng, ended last Thursday with 29 seats given to DAP, including several seats which PKR had already worked in.

However, DAP Sarawak Chairman Chong Chien Jen said his party had also made sacrifices by giving up some seats, including Batu Kitang which had good prospects for the Opposition party.

Borneo Post Online today reported that Boniface had submitted his resignation on April 17, after PKR failed to secure a nomination for him in the Tasik Biru constituency in the state election but gave it to DAP to contest against Barisan Nasional direct candidate Henry Harry Jinep.

Boniface said DAP got the nod to contest the seat despite PKR naming him as a potential candidate and a public poll showing PKR enjoyed more support in Tasik Biru than DAP.

He added that PKR had also failed to secure a nomination for him to contest in the 13th General Election in 2013 as the Mas Gading parliamentary seat was given to DAP.

Local sources claimed Boniface will join BN component SPDP soon.