“God willing, Rubin will be able to win us the seat again with the help of our machinery and support from constituents,” Hajiji was quoted as saying.

Rubin contested the seat as an independent candidate in the last state election in 2020, winning the six-cornered fight with a 1,012-vote majority.

He is currently a vice-president in Hajiji’s Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah.

Hajiji’s announcement comes amid speculation that the seat is being eyed by DAP, a component of Pakatan Harapan, which has allied itself with GRS for the state polls.

On Thursday, Hajiji was reported as saying that GRS will reveal its full list of candidates on Nov 12, three days before nominations.

Earlier today, DAP announced that it would contest seven seats in the election. They are Tanjung Aru, Likas, Kapayan, Sri Tanjong, Elopura, Luyang and Tanjong Papat.