He said the claim by Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Maximus Ongkili was “insane” and uncalled for.

“I am angered to read news reports on this claim. Maximus is mad for claiming that a party in BN had used phantom voters and fake identity cards. If he names the party, we will report him to the police for slander.

“The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) that inquired into the matter had never identified who cheated,” he said in a speech at the BN convention taking place at the International Technology and Commercial Centre here.

Ongkili, who is Parti Bersatu Sabah chief, claimed a BN component party had given identification cards to undocumented migrants in exchange for their votes, but did not name the party.

However, he said the party’s involvement in using undocumented migrants for its political interests had been proven by the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah formed under the Najib Razak administration.

Meanwhile, Salleh, who is chairman of the BN-Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) supporters club, reminded Ongkili that BN voters helped him win the Kota Marudu parliamentary seat.

“He is an ingrate. He should not be emotional. Does he not know who the prime minister is? The prime minister is from BN.”