KOTA KINABALU, Sept 7 — As seat negotiations continue for the upcoming state polls, Sabah PKR chief Datuk Christina Liew said that rumours claiming the party was demanding 25 seats were untrue.

Liew declined to reveal the exact number of seats that the party wants out of the 73 seats up for grabs, only saying that it wanted more than last election’s eight seats.

"That story going around that says we want 25 seats, that’s too far-fetched, "she said.

"We haven’t completed negotiations, but whatever seats we get, we must win; that is most important. I can tell you it’s not true we are not happy not to have 25 seats,” she said when speaking to the media during a gathering here today.

"Not 25, but more. But this is all subject to finality. We hope that we are able to work together with other parties again,” she said.

She was asked to comment on a viral message that is making the rounds on social media, claiming that PKR is demanding to contest 25 out of the 73 seats available in the state.

Warisan President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal is expected to make an announcement on candidates on September 10, two days before nomination day.

Liew only confirmed that two seats — Inanam and Api-Api — will be contested by PKR. Liew is the incumbent Api-Api assemblyman.

Moyog, previously contested by Jen Lasimbang on a PKR ticket but who later joined Warisan, is among the seats currently under negotiations.

"There will be some new faces, some old and some middle-aged. But loyalty is the most important, and ‘winnability’,” she said.

The rumours began after PKR president Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit here over the weekend, during which he was expected to make an announcement.

It was said that negotiations had stalled as parties could not agree on the distribution of seats as Warisan and Upko had been given a larger share.