Teah said the decision was made out of respect for the alliance, as three of the contested seats were previously won by DAP in the 2020 state polls.

The seats are Kapayan, Likas and Elopura. However, Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong left DAP in January 2022 to join Warisan.

Teah, who also serves as the Lahad Datu MCA chairman, said the party’s priority is contesting the Segama seat, followed by Tanjong Kapor and Karamunting.

“We’ve chosen Segama after considering the potential of securing a winning candidate,” he told FMT.

“If other BN component parties wish to field candidates, we can discuss and decide on the best candidate to secure a win.”

Segama was previously held by Mohamaddin Ketapi, who won the seat on a Warisan ticket in the 2020 election. He later joined Bersatu in 2021, PBM in 2022 and then Umno in 2023.

Last Friday, BN and PH formally announced an electoral agreement for the state election.

However, PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim has suggested that the pact should also involve Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.