The Warisan president said all Malaysians are free to visit the state, adding that it is their right to do so.

“We never stop anybody. Anyone can come over,” he said, responding to talk that the state government had attempted to stop Najib from coming.

“As chief minister, I have never given any instructions to stop anyone from coming. What we don’t want is, when they are here, they still claim that they were stopped from coming,” he told reporters at Pulau Berhala, off Sandakan.

Najib is expected to visit Sandakan tomorrow, to rally support for PBS’ Linda Tsen ahead of polling on Saturday. Acting Umno president Mohamad Hasan was in Sandakan last night.

In an earlier press conference at the Sandakan market, Shafie said he was not worried about Najib coming to Sabah, adding that it might in fact help DAP’s candidate Vivian Wong notch a bigger win.

“It’s a democratic country,” he said. “Everybody has their right.

“He went to my hometown and spent time in Semporna (before GE14), and the result was, I got my majority – even higher than before.

“Sabahans know he had his chance to govern as PM,” he added. “I was with him in the Cabinet too, so I know what he can do (and) what he cannot do.”