Kota Kinabalu: The Election Court on Friday struck out a Warisan candidate’s petition seeking to nullify the Karambunai seat result in the 17th State General Election.
Kuching-based High Court Judge Wong Siong Tung, in delivering his ruling via Zoom, allowed the preliminary objections raised by the first and second respondents, and the notice of application by the third respondent to strike out the petition.
The preliminary objections were raised by the Returning Officer (RO) for the constituency and the Election Commission (EC) of Malaysia, while the striking out application was made by Perikatan Nasional’s PAS candidate Datuk Dr Aliakbar Gulasan
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The petitioner, Ahmad Jais Otong, named the RO, the EC and Aliakbar as the first, second and third respondent, respectively.
“The court finds that the petition is fundamentally defective and cannot proceed,” held Wong.
The petitioner was ordered to pay costs in the sum of RM15,000 to the first and second respondents jointly, and a further sum of RM15,000 as costs to the third respondent, said counsel Rizwandean Bukhary M Burhan, who represented Aliakbar together with Shahlan Jufri.
The petitioner, represented by counsel Chin Yean Yean and Cason Chin, filed the petition on Dec 29, 2025.
Aliakbar won the seat with a majority of 365 votes. Ahmad garnered 6,689 votes against Aliakbar’s 7,054 in an 11-cornered fight during the election on Nov 29, 2025.
Meanwhile, the Court also struck out a petition by Warisan candidate Datuk Harun Ismail challenging the victory of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah’s (GRS) Datuk Seri Ruddy Awah in the Pitas seat.
Wong made the decision via Zoom after allowing preliminary objections raised by Ruddy and two other respondents challenging the petition filed against them.
The petitioner, Harun, 66, who filed the petition on Dec 23, 2025, named Ruddy, 57, the Returning Officer for the constituency and the Election Commission as the first, second and third respondent, respectively.
Wong, in delivering his decision, held, among others: “The petitioner fails to comply with the mandatory requirements of the law and does not properly invoke the jurisdiction of this Court.”
The judge ordered the petitioner to pay RM15,000 cost to the first respondent and further sum of RM5,000 costs to second and third respondent jointly, said counsel Shahlan Jufri, who represented Ruddy together with counsel Rizwandean Bukhary M Burhan, Rupilin Alik and Mohd Luqman Syazwan Zabidi Md Zain.
Ruddy won the six-cornered fight for the seat with 5,754 votes and a majority of 1,565, while Harun garnered 4,189 votes.
