According to Malaysiakini, the party also named Mazliwati Abdul Malik Chua to contest the Lamag state seat.

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking was quoted as saying that the decision to contest the two seats should not be perceived as a sign of disrespect for the late Bung Moktar Radin.

“The decision for Warisan to contest is not a denial of the contributions and service of the late representative, and certainly not a form of disrespect to him or his family,” he said when announcing the candidates at an event in Kinabatangan today.

Leiking said the decision instead stemmed from the belief that the people’s mandate must be upheld, and that the responsibility of representation can only be exercised through a legitimate and constitutional process.

Mazliwati contested the Kinabatangan seat in the 2022 general election, but lost to Bung who won with a 4,330 vote-majority. Mazliwati garnered a total of 12,512 votes.

Saddi won the Sukau seat in the 2008 general election and held it for three consecutive terms. In the 2020 state election, he contested the seat as an independent candidate and lost to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Jaffry Ariffin.

Sabah BN has announced Ismail Ayob as its candidate for Lamag, while the Kinabatangan seat will be contested by Bung’s son, Naim Kurniawan.

The two seats were left vacant following Bung’s death 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.