Kota kinabalu: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR Sabah) Youth Exco Chief Jordan Jude Ellron has resigned with immediate effect, citing disappointment that no young candidates were fielded by the party in the upcoming 17th Sabah state election. In a Facebook post today, Jordan also announced his resignation as the party’s Nabawan division chief and said he would contest the Tulid state seat as an independent candidate.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Jordan expressed dissatisfaction that not a single seat was allocated to the STAR Sabah Wiramuda Exco, highlighting that only long-standing party members were chosen as candidates. He stated that his resignation was a matter of principle, as he felt his position as youth chief had lost its significance.

Jordan revealed that STAR Sabah President Datuk Seri Jeffrey G. Kitingan had initially confirmed his candidacy for the Tulid seat, a decision backed by the party’s Political Bureau. He had already paid his nomination deposit and procured campaign materials before opting to donate them to other party candidates following the change in decision.

He further explained his resignation as a form of sacrifice, hoping that it would prompt the president to acknowledge his mistake and avoid repeating it with future generations. Jordan added that even the Youth Exco Deputy Chief, Razidin Robert, faced a similar situation, having been initially announced as a candidate for Bingkor but later dropped.

Jordan questioned the reliability of the party’s promises to grassroots members if the president could publicly announce and then retract candidacies. Meanwhile, Jeffrey announced that STAR Sabah would contest 40 out of the 73 seats in the state election, nominating Datuk Baritus Gungkit Evaristus for Tulid and Mohd Ishak Ayun for Bingkor.

The Election Commission has scheduled Nov 15 for nomination, Nov 25 for early voting, and Nov 29 for polling.