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BARISAN Nasional (BN) candidate for the Lamag State Legislative Assembly seat, Mohd Ismail Ayob, known as Miha, has signalled his full commitment to the fiercely contested one-on-one by-election against Parti Warisan, emphasising that the race will produce only a single winner.
“We do not take any candidate or party lightly. For us, every contest is important and must be approached with maximum effort,” Miha said following the nomination process at Dewan Sri Lamag on Saturday.
“In this election, there is no draw — there is only victory or defeat. I am confident that with the support of the people of Lamag and Kinabatangan, this seat can remain under BN’s stewardship.”
Commenting on his opponent, Mazliwati Abdul Malek — a former colleague when he was part of Warisan — Miha described the contest as a normal part of democratic processes.
“For me, this is a process of democracy and nothing extraordinary. It is the natural course of politics.
“Today, we face a one-on-one contest with Warisan. I see this as healthy competition, and in celebration of democracy, we each campaign to win support for our parties, particularly BN,” he said.
Miha previously contested the Lamag seat as an independent candidate in the last state election but was defeated by the late incumbent Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
Bung Moktar passed away on December 5 at a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu due to complications from kidney and lung conditions.
Following his death, the Election Commission declared the Lamag state seat and the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat vacant, setting the by-elections for January 24, with early voting scheduled for January 20.
Miha’s statements underline BN’s determination to retain the Lamag seat while acknowledging the competitive nature of the electoral battle in Sabah. - January 10, 2026