Sabah Pakatan leaders denied rumours of Musa's return

Sabah Pakatan Harapan leaders in Kota Kinabalu expressed shock at a report suggesting that former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman would make a comeback through the coalition. The leaders issued a joint statement denying the report and stating that the matter was never discussed in any Sabah Pakatan meeting. They emphasized that important decisions related to the mandate and the people’s confidence must be thoroughly considered and decided unanimously at the Sabah Pakatan leadership level. The statement was issued by Sabah Pakatan chairman Datuk Christina Liew, Parti Upko president Datuk Ewon Nenedick, Sabah DAP chairman Datuk Frankie Poon, and Sabah Amanah chairman Lahirul Latigu.

Sabah Pakatan announced that they will soon hold a meeting to discuss the issue and plan the coalition’s political direction for the upcoming state election in September 2025. The origins of the talk about Musa’s comeback are unclear, but it is speculated that his name and others might have been casually mentioned during informal discussions.

Musa lost his hold on the state government in the 2018 general election when the Parti Warisan-Pakatan Harapan coalition toppled his 15-year rule under Barisan Nasional. He has since remained with Umno. In July 2020, Musa attempted to regain power by orchestrating a series of defections to topple the Warisan-Pakatan state government led by Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. However, Shafie thwarted his attempt by obtaining the dissolution of the state assembly, leading to a snap state election two months later.

In the recent election, Sabah Barisan chose not to field Musa to defend his Sibuga state seat.