LIPIS: UMNO will be putting up a candidate in the Nenggiri state by-election in Kelantan following the seat vacancy, said its president, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Deputy Prime Minister also announced that former Gua Musang MP, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has been appointed as the by-election director while Kelantan UMNO Liaison Committee chairman and chairman of Felcra Datuk Ahmad Jazlan has been appointed as by-election operations director.
“After this we will be going to Gua Musang to assist our candidate. Insya-Allah, if we work hard and sincerely, Allah will grant victory to us.
“Hopefully this combination (Tengku Razaleigh and Ahmad Jazlan) can give us victory. Pahang UMNO must help our candidates in this state,“ he said when opening the UMNO Lipis Division Meeting at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Silver Jubilee Hall, Kuala Lipis, here today.
The Election Commission (EC) has set the Nenggiri state by-election on August 17 with the date of candidate nomination and early voting on August 3 and 13 respectively.
This follows, Mohd Azizi Abu Naim losing his Bersatu membership and the state seat was declared vacant on June 19 by Kelantan Assembly Speaker Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah.
In the meantime, Ahmad Zahid reminded leaders and members of UMNO, Barisan Nasional (BN) in the state to be more careful as the opposition party plans to capture Pahang in the next general election.
“In the last general election, we got 16 seats while PN got 17 seats. Who saved us is our friends from PH (Pakatan Harapan) because they contributed eight seats, so, 16 plus eight, we have 24 seats.
“As PAS and Bersatu have 17 seats, they are trying to capture Pahang in the next election, I hope the leaders of UMNO and Pahang, do not allow them to win and we must support Wan Rosdy (Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail) and friends,“ he said.
Therefore, he said that the party’s work to defend the state should start from now and it needs to work hard and not take it easy with the attacks of the opposition parties since Perikatan Nasional (PN) has become the government in four states and certainly, the focus after this is Pahang.
“I am asking Pahang UMNO and BN not to take it lightly. Defend our victory, my message to all Pahang UNNO division leaders and Wan Rosdy as state BN chairman,“ he said.
