THE nomination process for Sabah’s 17th State Election (PRN17) got underway on Friday, with candidates from Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Pakatan Harapan (PH) and other parties arriving early at nomination centres across the state.
Polling is scheduled for 29 November, with early voting on 25 November.
Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, incumbent for the Lamag state seat, arrived at Dewan Sri Lamag at 8.27am, greeted by chants of “Radu Tetap Radu.”
“Radu” is a nickname or affectionate shorthand for Bung, the BN candidate for Lamag.
He was accompanied by Datuk Jafry Arifin, BN candidate and incumbent for Sukau, Naib Presiden UMNO Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, and several party leaders.
Bung won Lamag in PRN16 with a slim majority of 661 votes, while Jafry retained Sukau with a comfortable majority of 2,129 votes.
Earlier, at 8.20am, three GRS candidates—Johainizamshah Johari (Lamag), Datuk Mansiung Banah (Kuamut) and Datuk Juhari Janan (Sukau)—arrived at their respective centres.
Across Sabah, prominent figures such as Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal were present to accompany party candidates submitting their nomination papers.
The nomination process saw a mix of party-affiliated and independent candidates arriving at different centres.
Notable arrivals included Warisan candidates Terrence Siambun and Datuk Ruji Ubi, Parti Impian Sabah’s Cleftus Stephen Spine, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku’s Bernard A Logijin, Parti Bumi Kenyalang’s Walter Norbert Johnny, and independent Cyril Gerald Liew, among others.
At Dewan Maksak, Datuk Peto Galim, incumbent for Inanam, was among the first arrivals for a seat expected to see more than ten candidates contesting.
Preparations for PRN17 also saw thousands of supporters gathering early.
At Dewan Sri Sulaman in Tuaran, over 1,000 GRS supporters escorted four candidates, while hundreds accompanied BN nominees at Lamag and Pantai Dalit. Veteran Sabah entertainer Abu Bakar Ellah, running for Kuamut under Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM), was the earliest arrival at Dewan Sri Lamag at 7.50am.
Following the conclusion of the nomination process across 25 centres for all 73 state seats, candidates will immediately embark on a two-week campaign period, utilising social media, house-to-house visits, market outreach, public rallies, and traversing remote and island communities. - November 15, 2025
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