In a Facebook post, he said the announcement was made by BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at a dinner event in Kuala Lumpur, adding that Naim was seen as “a candidate who is well accepted by the local community”.

Meanwhile, Naim also took to Facebook to announce that he had been chosen to contest the seat. He thanked Zahid for placing his trust in him and giving him the mandate to defend the seat previously held by Bung Moktar.

“This is not merely a party mandate, as it also carries the collective hopes and expectations of the people of Kinabatangan, who look to be represented and defended,” Naim said, adding that the moment would have been “complete” if his late father had been present to witness his candidacy.

Naim said he accepted the responsibility entrusted to him by the Umno and BN leadership to continue the party’s legacy in Kinabatangan.

“I accept the trust placed in me, even though I am aware that it will not be easy, given that the Kinabatangan parliamentary constituency spans an area as large as the state of Pahang,” he told Bernama.

The Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag state seat were left vacant following the death of Bung Moktar, who was also Sabah BN chairman, on Dec 5.

Polling for both by-elections will take place on Jan 24, with nomination day and early voting scheduled for Jan 10 and Jan 20, respectively.

Bung had represented Kinabatangan in the Dewan Rakyat since 1999. He was re-elected for a sixth term at the 15th general election (GE15) in November 2022, winning by a majority of 4,330 votes over his Warisan rival, Mazliwati Abdul Malek Chua.

In the Sabah state election on Nov 29, Bung Moktar defended the Lamag seat, winning with a majority of 153 votes in a six-cornered contest.