“I am the one running for office, not Isa, so, why should it affect the campaign? If he were the candidate, it might be a different story,” Bibi said after receiving her letter of appointment from Barisan Nasional deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan here today.

She also hoped that her opponent, Perikatan Nasional’s Eddin Syazlee Shith, will not use Isa’s case against her.

“If you come after me personally, I can retaliate. We all know Eddin’s performance in Kuala Pilah before this,” she said.

Bibi added that Isa, the former Felda chairman, will assist her during the campaigning period.

On June 26, Isa’s appeal against his conviction over the purchase of a hotel in Sarawak, was postponed again after he was admitted to a private hospital in Seremban due to heart problems.

Court of Appeal Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail set Oct 16 for the hearing to resume.

This was the second postponement of the appeal, which was meant to take place on March 7 but was rescheduled to June 26 to allow the defence more time to prepare.