Musa said Rahman was the right man to represent the voices of Sabahans because he ticked all the boxes for such a prominent post in the federal government.

He added that Rahman, a former federal minister, was hardworking and had an eye for strategic planning.

Kota Belud voters must be united in their support for Rahman because he was the right man for the job under the BN-Gabungan Rakyat Sabah pact, Musa said at a ceramah in Usukan last night.

BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had pledged that the coalition would appoint three deputy prime ministers if it won the general election. He said each of the three would represent Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia.

Rahman is in a three-way fight for the Kota Belud seat, going up against Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis of Warisan, who won the seat in the 2018 general election (GE14), and Madeli Modily Bangali of Pakatan Harapan (PH).

He was the Kota Belud MP for two terms but made way for former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak to contest the seat in 2018.

Instead, Rahman moved to the Sepanggar seat in GE14, where he lost to Warisan’s Azis Jamman.