Shahelmey yet to be briefed on Sabah election seats
"The announcements on the number of seats to be contested by Umno and Barisan Nasional are merely party leadership decisions. As of now, I have not been called for any briefing or meeting, although I am closely following political developments in Sabah ahead of the state polls," Shahelmy told reporters after concluding nine checkpoints for the Putatan Merdeka Convoy programme here.
Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had said that the coalition had appointed both the BN secretary-general and the Umno secretary-general to hold discussions with their unity government counterparts regarding seat negotiations.
Mohamad had previously indicated in Kimanis that BN aimed to contest at least one seat in every 25 parliamentary constituencies in Sabah.
Shahelmey, who is also Putatan member of parliament, was reported to have had his party membership suspended after defying a directive by Sabah BN chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin in January 2023, and for allegedly betraying the party's struggle and mandate.
At that time, Bung attempted to topple the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led government by withdrawing support. However, the move — dubbed the Kinabalu Move — failed when several BN elected representatives, including Shahelmey, and seven Sabah PH leaders chose to remain with the existing government.
In the 2020 state election, Shahelmey won Tanjung Keramat with a majority of 4,594 votes. Last year, Bung announced Putatan Umno chief Jeffery Noh as the candidate for Tanjung Keramat.
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