Speaking to FMT, Warisan Youth chief Mohd Azis Jamman said he was baffled when told of the large number of Warisan members supposedly in the Kg Bangau-Bangau branch.

He said as far as he knew, the area was too small to have 200 voters, let alone 1,020.

“We have seen the place. It is small. There can’t be more than 200. When the news report came out that more than a thousand had joined, everybody knew it was just a lie.”

Nevertheless, Azis said the party had contacted the branch chief and was told that none of the party members there had left.

He also showed the list of branch and division chiefs, proving there was no Bibi Sangalani among them.

Bibi Sangalani was the individual who was said to have led the 1,020 people in handing over their membership application forms to Umno.

“It seems that these 1,020 people are the same group of people who, not long ago, left PKR and joined Umno.

“If I am not mistaken, they joined Umno when Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi went there for a visit some time ago,” he said.

Azis said the claim was just a ploy by Umno to destabilise Warisan, adding that Sabah Umno deputy information chief Ramlee Marahaban seemed to be panicking over the loss of Umno’s influence, particularly in the Semporna constituency.

Ramlee is the assemblyman for Bugaya, which is under the Semporna parliamentary constituency.

On Saturday, Ramlee welcomed into Umno 1,020 people whom he said were former Semporna PKR members.

He also listed Kimanis, Papar and Semporna as weakening opposition strongholds, adding that he believed more Warisan members would be crossing over to Umno soon.