“All five of us signed SDs to support Hajiji as the chief minister. My stand remains clear which is to support him because I think this is not the time to change the government,” he said here today.

Shahelmey said it is now up to the party to take any action against him and his colleagues but stressed that they were still Umno members.

The others are Jasnih Daya (assemblyman for Pantai Dalit), James Ratib (Sugut), Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin), and Arsad Bistari (Tempasuk).

Shahelmey, who is also MP for Putatan, said he is yet to be summoned by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or state party chairman Bung Moktar Radin to explain his stand.

Last week, Bung announced that Sabah Umno had retracted its support for Hajiji as the chief minister after claiming that the GRS chairman broke a political agreement between them after the state elections in 2020.

Hajiji announced earlier today that he had the support of 44 out of 79 state assemblymen, enabling him to retain his position. He said he submitted the SDs to the governor, Juhar Mahiruddin, yesterday.

Under the state constitution, a simple majority of 40 votes is required to form a government.