Pandikar goes to court to challenge Sabah polls defeat

The Usno president claims a witness saw eventual winner Fairuz Renddan give an envelope with RM100 to a woman during the election campaign.

Usno president Pandikar Amin Mulia lost the contest for the Pintasan seat in the Nov 29 Sabah polls to independent candidate Fairuz Renddan by 1,070 votes. (Wikipedia pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Usno president Pandikar Amin Mulia has filed an election petition to challenge the result of the election for the Pintasan seat during the Sabah state election last month, where he lost to independent candidate Fairuz Renddan.

Pandikar named Fairuz, the Election Commission’s returning officer in Pintasan Peter Jiton, as well as the EC as respondents in his petition filed on Dec 22, Sabah’s Daily Express reported.

He wants the court to declare the results of the election void and that he is the rightful winner, claiming corrupt practices and election offences during Fairuz’s campaign.

The former Dewan Rakyat speaker cited testimony from a 23-year-old voter who claimed she saw Fairuz handing an envelope with RM100 to a woman on the campaign trail.

Pandikar lost the contest for the Pintasan seat to Fairuz, the former Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Youth chief, by 1,070 votes.

In 2020, Pandikar had also lost the seat to Fairuz, who was then with Sabah Bersatu, by 84 votes.

Fairuz is now an assistant minister in the Sabah government. - FMT