KOTA KINABALU (April 24): United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) will not be fielding a candidate in the Sandakan by-election on May 11, but will fully support the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) candidate in the contest for the seat.

USNO information chief, Musli Oli said the decision was made at the party’s Supreme Council meeting recently.

"The party will be sending a team comprising its top leaders to assist PBS in the by-election campaign,” he said in a statement, here, today.

Musli said the decision was made based on the premise that USNO supported cooperation between the opposition parties.

He said most of the USNO Supreme Council members were also of the view that the party needed to focus on strengthening its administrative machinery at the central level and setting up its divisions across the state.

The Election Commission has set April 27 for nomination of candidates in the by-election, May 7 for early voting and May 11 for polling.

The Sandakan parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of its incumbent MP, Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt from DAP, who was also Sabah Minister of Health and Well-being, on May 28.