Jumat had earlier been speculated to join Warisan after BN did not choose him to defend his seat.
Asked if he would have had a better chance of winning Sepanggar if Jumat had joined Warisan, he said: “Without a doubt. He has his own hardcore supporters. So I think it would have helped us.
“(But with him sticking to BN) I still think we have a better chance to win.
“Even if Jumat was contesting, Warisan will still put up a candidate against him. It doesn’t matter who from BN, we will fight,” he said.
Jumat’s political future seemed to be in limbo after being suspended from Umno for publicly criticising Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman in 2015.
Jumat announced his continued support for BN last Sunday.
Jumat also called on his supporters to back all the BN candidates contesting Sepanggar and its two state seats — Karambunai and Inanam.
Azis did not discount the Jumat factor might have slightly taken the sting out of his onslaught for Sepanggar but contended the majority of the people were thirsty for change.
“Definitely (Jumat is a threat) there’s no denying that. But bear in mind not every one of his supporters will join him. And if we look at the people in Sepanggar, they are rejecting Umno and BN,” he said.
He also dismissed the notion that the fact he was not originally from Sepanggar would dent his chances of winning.
“I am from Semporna but when I go to the ground they just say make sure when you win, ‘jangan lompat’ (don’t jump ship). We will spit in your face if you do.
“You see that’s a sign. They don’t ask where I come from, they just want to make sure I don’t ‘jadi a katak’ (don’t jump to another party),” Azis said.
He said if his rivals wanted to harp on the “outsider” issue, the BN candidates were far worse.
“Jainab Ahmad (BN’s Karambunai candidate) is from Tawau while Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN Sepanggar candidate) is from Tuaran.
“Rahman was kicked to Sepanggar because the people in Kota Belud (where Rahman was the incumbent) did not want him.
“So there is no issue. The candidate is not Azis; it is Warisan against BN, and we have passed that down to the people.
“Remember, the enemy is not me. The enemy is Umno and BN,” he said, alleging the infighting within Umno would further weaken the party.
Azis said the signs were already there to see every time he, or other Warisan candidates, went out to campaign.
“This is a very good sign that people are with us. When they see us, they shout ‘Sabah ubah’ (change for Sabah). I don’t even have to campaign much … they campaign for us,” he said.
Besides Rahman, Azis is also up against Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate Jeffrey Kumin and Robert Sopining of Parti Cinta Sabah.
Gabungan Sabah may split KDM
Azis was confident the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) and Chinese communities would back Warisan but admitted that Gabungan Sabah, of which SAPP is a component member, could still split the vote of the KDM people.
“I’ve been in and out of Sepanggar for the last six months and I feel, looking at the mood of the people, especially among the KDM and Chinese, it’s a done deal.
“The only question is will the KDM vote be split because of Gabungan’s presence?
“But we have explained to the people that the only one capable of toppling BN is the electoral group of Warisan and Pakatan Harapan, which comprises PKR and DAP in Sabah,” he said.
Azis pointed out that the parties in Gabungan were also at odds when it came to seat allocations, with component parties clashing in some seats.
“That only shows Gabungan is ‘hanya cantik pada nama’ (only nice on paper). In reality, there is no understanding at all, unlike Warisan and PH where we don’t have any clashes,” he said.