KOTA KINABALU, March 1 — Sebatik assemblyman Hassan Amir Gani today claimed today he was "forced” to make a pledge to remain loyal to Parti Warisan Sabah throughout his term in order to contest the seat on the party’s ticket.

Hassan, who is the first Warisan elected representative to quit the party, acknowledged that he made an oath in a video that was released by the party showing him pledging loyalty to it and agreeing to pre-sign a resignation letter that would be invoked should he leave the party.

"It’s true, I did make that pledge, but it’s not valid because I was forced to. If I didn’t pledge, I would not have been a candidate,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Hassan, who announced he was leaving Warisan in February via an interview with national news agency Bernama, said that he did it "for the people in Sebatik”.

Earlier today, the party released the video of him making the pledge dated September 10, 2020 and Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said the resignation letter signed by Hassan would now be sent to the state assembly, the Sabah governor and the Election Commission.

Shafie told reporters that Hassan had made the pledge of his own free will and party funds were allocated to him for his campaigning.

"By law, the letter, which he signed without inducement, should be considered valid. He has to vacate the post,” Shafie said.