This follows an announcement by Sabah Umno information chief Suhaimi Nasir that the state chapter will be contesting 40 seats in the 17th state election.

Razeef said Suhaimi had claimed PH and BN have come to an understanding and will not violate the agreed upon seat allocations.

“He claims PH has agreed to the seats BN wants to contest. Unofficial meetings with Sabah PKR have been held, but there have been no discussions so far between PH and BN on seat allocations.

“PH has never officially met with BN or Gabungan Rakyat Sabah to discuss cooperation in the polls, let alone seat allocations.

“We do not know where Suhaimi got this 40-seat figure from, nor do we know who he discussed it with,” he said in a statement today.

Razeef, who is also the central PKR deputy information chief, said Umno should advise its leaders in Sabah not to release statements unilaterally, especially regarding cooperation for the state polls and seat allocations.

Separately, he told FMT that he has received confirmation from all the leaders in PH that no such discussions have been held.

“Sabah BN leaders have repeatedly issued such statements despite not meeting PH or even discussing the matter. We do not know the reason for their continued lies,” he said.

Earlier today, Suhaimi was reported as saying Sabah BN remains firm in its plan to contest 40 of the 73 state seats up for grabs, with the remaining allocated to PH and other potential allies.

“Seats contested by Umno would be more in the semi-urban and rural areas, while the urban seats would be distributed to PH or other allies,” he said.

The Star reported him as saying discussions on the political alliance between BN and PH are ongoing and remain a key focus for the party.