
Fairuz had expressed dissatisfaction with Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s decision to field Pandikar in the seat, where he had defeated Pandikar in 2020 with a slim majority of 84 votes.
He is expected to be sacked from Gagasan Rakyat, a key component of GRS, as the party had said earlier that members who contest as independent candidates would be immediately expelled.
According to the Election Commission, the other candidates in contention include Tadzul Radim (Barisan Nasional), Awang Salleh Makmud (Perikatan Nasional), Abdullah Otong (Warisan), Raplin Samat (Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku) and Almudin Kaida (Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat).
The rest are Lomog Rudin @ Efejus Rudin (Parti Impian Sabah) and independent candidates Rizal Saiman, Tajuddin Padis and Syarif Shukree Danchingan.