SABAH UMNO has identified between three and four potential candidates to be submitted to the party president to contest both the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat and the Lamag seat in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly in the by-elections scheduled for January 24.
Sabah UMNO chief Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the candidates would be announced about a week before nomination day, adding that all those shortlisted were men.
“Maybe we will have three or four candidates, but we will wait for the appropriate time to announce them, and all the candidates identified are male,” he said.
Jafry, who is also acting chief of the Kinabatangan UMNO division, said he had personally consulted party leaders at the grassroots level before putting forward any names.
“I myself, as the person carrying out the duties of Kinabatangan UMNO division chief, have held meetings with the division committee, polling district centre heads in Lamag, as well as branch chiefs to hear the views and voices of leaders at the grassroots level. God willing, this matter will be brought forward to be decided at the appropriate time,” he said at a press conference at the Sabah UMNO building on Wednesday night.
Asked whether the same individual would be fielded for both seats, Jafry said different candidates were being considered for Kinabatangan and Lamag.
“In my opinion, it will be different people, because we do not want one person to hold two seats at the same time, and they will be new faces,” he said.
He stressed that electability remained the main criterion in selecting candidates, expressing confidence that Barisan Nasional could strengthen its position in both constituencies.
“The first criterion is that a candidate can win and has a strong chance of winning, and as everyone knows, Kinabatangan is a Barisan Nasional stronghold. We also won Lamag, but with a slightly reduced majority. God willing, I am very confident that this time we will prove that in Lamag we can increase the majority,” he said.
When asked whether the shortlist included Naim Kurniawan, the son of the late Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin who previously held both seats, Jafry said no decision had yet been made.
“I cannot comment, it has not been decided yet. Wait and see,” he said.
Commenting on views previously expressed regarding Naim Kurniawan as a potential candidate for the Lamag seat, Jafry said those remarks reflected a personal opinion rather than the party’s collective stance.
“That is his personal view, but as leaders, we also have different views, it is up to them,” he said.
The by-elections for both Kinabatangan and Lamag were called following the death of Bung Moktar on December 5 due to complications involving his kidneys and lungs. - December 18, 2025
