“I don’t want (to apologise), I want to see (him) in court,” Sanusi said at a ceramah last night, to shouts of “takbir” from the crowd.

“I did not accuse him. I just commented on what happened (court cases). Everyone knows (about it),” he said referring to the Pakatan Harapan chairman’s sodomy conviction.

Anwar was granted a full pardon by the King in 2018 for his three convictions – one for abuse of power and two for sodomy – on the basis that there was a “miscarriage of justice”.

Yesterday, Anwar issued a letter of demand to the PAS leader to immediately withdraw the speech which he deemed defamatory.

Sanusi is said to have made the remarks during a ceramah in support of Perikatan Nasional candidate Ahmad Faizal Azumu, the former Tambun MP, according to the letter of demand.

However, at a ceramah for PN candidate Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman in Sik last night, Sanusi said he had not received the letter of demand from Anwar’s lawyer, SN Nair.

The Kedah menteri besar reiterated his comments that only a man could be the Sik MP.

“Both women candidates (from BN and PH) can’t (be Sik MP). Sik needs a male candidate. You have Ustaz Tarmizi here, choose him,” he said.

Sanusi recently drew flak over his comments on women candidates from various leaders, notably the PH candidate in Sik, Latipah Md Yatim, and PKR’s vice-president, Nurul Izzah Anwar.