A THREE-cornered contest will determine the next Member of Parliament for Kinabatangan, while Lamag will see a straight fight for the state assembly seat, after nomination submissions for the by-elections closed at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Dewan Sri Lamag.
Returning Officer Eddy Syaizul Rizam Abdullah confirmed that the Election Commission had received nomination papers from three candidates for the P187 Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and two candidates for the N58 Lamag state seat.
“I have reviewed the nomination papers and after reviewing them, I am satisfied that no nomination papers were rejected,” he said at the Sri Lamag Hall today
For the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election, the candidates are Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar representing Barisan Nasional, Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman of Warisan, and Independent candidate Goldam Hamid.
In the Lamag state seat, the contest will be between Mohd Ismail Ayob of Barisan Nasional and Mazliwati Abdul Malek representing Warisan.
The results set the stage for what is expected to be a closely watched electoral battle in both constituencies.
Just prior to the announcement, Eddy fromally closed the nomination centre one hour after it opened, following a smooth process attended by supporters of all contesting candidates under fine weather conditions.
Barisan Nasional (BN) put forward Mohd Naim Kurniawan Moktar for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and Mohd Ismail Ayob, also known as Miha, for the Lamag state seat.
Both candidates submitted their nomination papers at around 9:05 a.m., accompanied by UMNO Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan, Sabah BN chairman Datuk Jafry Ariffin, and UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh.
Parti Warisan fielded former Sukau assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman for Kinabatangan and party Supreme Council member Mazliwati Abdul Malek for Lamag. Both submitted their papers shortly before the closing time, escorted by party vice-president Datuk Jaujan Sambakong and their supporters.
Independent candidate Goldam Hamid, a lawyer, completed his nomination at 9:52 a.m., rounding out the candidates for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat.
The by-elections were triggered by the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, on December 5 last year. Bung Moktar, 66, had held both seats, retaining Kinabatangan in the 15th General Election with a 4,330-vote majority over Warisan’s Mazliwati Abdul Malek, and defending Lamag with a narrow 153-vote margin in a six-cornered contest during the 17th Sabah State Election on November 29, 2025.
The Election Commission has scheduled polling for January 24, with early voting on January 20. A total of 48,722 registered voters, including 196 police personnel and their spouses, are eligible to cast ballots across 36 polling centres with 117 voting streams and one early voting centre.
With all nomination papers now submitted and the process officially concluded at 10 a.m., the stage is set for a closely watched contest in Sabah, pitting BN, Warisan, and an independent contender against one another for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat, while Lamag voters will choose between the BN and Warisan nominees in a straight fight. - January 10, 2026
