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KOTA KINABALU: Usno president Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia (pic) has filed an election petition challenging the outcome of the Pintasan state seat in the 17th Sabah General Election, which was won by Independent candidate Datuk Fairuz Renddan.

The petition, filed on Dec 22 through counsel Sukumaran Vanugopal, names Fairuz as the first respondent, the Pintasan returning officer Peter Jiton as the second respondent, and the Election Commission (EC) as the third respondent.

Pandikar, 70, is seeking a court declaration that the election held on Nov 29, 2025 is void, that Fairuz was not duly elected, and that he himself be declared the rightful winner, with costs borne by the respondents.

In his petition, Pandikar alleged corrupt and illegal practices under the Election Offences Act 1954, citing testimony from a 23-year-old registered voter who claimed she witnessed Fairuz handing an envelope containing RM100 to another woman at a campaign site within the Pintasan constituency on Nov 23.

The alleged incident, captured on a mobile phone and later circulated on social media, drew public attention and, according to Pandikar, may have undermined the integrity of the election in which he lost an 11-cornered contest on a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) ticket by a 1,070-vote majority.