Verdon bin Bahanda is a Malaysian politician, businessman and indigenous activist who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kudat since November 2022. He served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd from November 2020 to his resignation in December 2020.[1][2] He was also the owner of the Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd after its privatisation in November 2020 (Officially in 2021). He is presently the only independent MP, one of the two independent candidates who was elected in the 2022 general election along with Tenom MP Riduan Rubin who is a former member of the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM) and Verdon is the first independent Kudat MP in the Malaysian history. He is also the younger brother of Wetrom Bahanda, the Kota Marudu MP and Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bandau.[3]
Verdon Bahanda | |
|---|---|
| ۏردون باهندا | |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kudat | |
| Assumed office 19 November 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Abdul Rahim Bakri (BN–UMNO) |
| Majority | 1,967 (2022) |
| Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Sabah Football Club Sdn Bhd | |
| In office 12 November 2020 – 21 December 2020 | |
| Faction represented in the Dewan Rakyat | |
| 2022– | Independent (BEBAS) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Verdon bin Bahanda Sabah, Malaysia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Relations | Wetrom Bahanda (older brother) Redonah Bahanda (sister) |
| Occupation | Politician & businessman |
| Verdon Bahanda on Facebook | |
Political career
Member of Parliament (since 2022)
2022 general election
In the 2022 general election, Verdon made his electoral debut after nominating himself to contest for the Kudat federal seat as an independent candidate.[4] He won the seat and was elected into Parliament as the Kudat MP after defeating Ruddy Awah of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Rashid Abdul Harun of the Heritage Party (WARISAN), Thonny Chee of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Nur Alya Humaira Usun of Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) by a majority of 1,967 votes.[5][6]
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | P167 Kudat | Verdon Bahanda (IND) | 16,323 | 36.19% | Ruddy Awah (Sabah BERSATU) | 14,356 | 31.83% | 45,108 | 1,967 | 59.57% | ||
| Rashid Abdul Harun (WARISAN) | 9,421 | 20.89% | ||||||||||
| Thonny Chee (PKR) | 4,726 | 10.48% | ||||||||||
| Nur Alya Humaira Usun (PEJUANG) | 282 | 0.63% | ||||||||||
Honours
Pahang :
Knight Companion of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (DIMP) – Dato' (2012)[8]
