PARTI Warisan Sabah (Warisan) reaffirmed its intention for the third time to contest all 73 state seats in the coming state election, putting to rest speculation over any alliances or “third force” collaborations with other political parties.

Warisan president Shafie Apdal said the party’s stance had been clearly decided and endorsed multiple times by its supreme council, adding that Warisan’s alliance is with the people, not with political groups.

“We have already stated that Warisan’s position is to unite with the people. And we will be contesting all 73 seats across Sabah,” he said in Kampung Dandun, under Bengkoka constituency, on Saturday.

“Although there are quarters talking about alliances, what’s important is that we’ve already had two supreme council meetings where we clearly decided that we’ll be contesting all 73 seats,” he said.

“So why are there still rumours about us joining forces with anyone?” he asked.

Shafie, who is also Semporna MP, was responding to BN Chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement last week that the coalition was open to cooperating with any party that shared its principles in the state election.

However, Zahid said this openness did not extend to Gabungan Rakyat Sabah.

He said BN would work with a “third force” in Sabah to ensure that voters in the contested seats lean towards BN candidates. He did not elaborate on which parties would be in the “third force”.

Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin then said the identity of the “third force” will remain confidential.

The Sabah assembly’s term expires on Nov 11, unless dissolved earlier, after which an election must be held within 60 days.

GRS earlier resolved it preferred only working with Pakatan Harapan (PH) than Umno and was only willing to give Umno-Barisan eight seats if forced to accommodate the peninsula-based party which held sway over Sabah from 1994 until 2018.

GRS said even giving Umno-BN eight seats was one too many, which Umno said was insulting.