PN winner, EC to raise preliminary objections in Gua Musang seat petition

PN winner, EC to raise preliminary objections in Gua Musang seat petition

PN’s Azizi Abu Naim (left) beat Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah by 163 votes in the Gua Musang parliamentary seat in GE15.


PETALING JAYA: Newly elected Gua Musang MP Azizi Abu Naim and the Election Commission (EC) will file preliminary objections to quash an election petition calling for the result of the polls in the constituency to be nullified.

Lawyer Baharudeen Ariff, appearing for petitioner Azmi Mahmood, said Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Azizi and the EC gave notice of their intention during case management before deputy registrar Nik Habri Muhamad in the Kota Bharu High Court today.


“Their lawyers informed Nik Habri that the court papers will be filed by Friday,” he told FMT.

Baharudeen said the preliminary objections will be heard in open court for two days before election judge Roslan Abu Bakar from Feb 8.

He said the court has also tentatively fixed staggered trial dates between March 12 and June 27.

He said he informed the parties that Azmi will call 10 to 12 witnesses during the trial.

Counsel Faizi Che Abu, appearing for Azizi, said they have also lined up between 10 and 12 witnesses.

Federal counsel Sallehuddin Ali, representing the EC and the returning officer, said they will call five witnesses.


Barisan Nasional’s Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, better known as Ku Li, failed to defend the Gua Musang seat in GE15. He lost by 163 votes to Azizi, who secured 21,826 votes, in a four-cornered fight.

Formerly the country’s longest-serving MP, Tengku Razaleigh first won the Gua Musang seat in 1974.

The petition was filed by Azmi last month to challenge the result as money politics was allegedly involved.

Among others, Azmi is seeking to declare the result as invalid and for the EC to call for a by-election.

He claims that ballot boxes from certain polling district centres were unaccounted for and ballot papers were not returned.