TopicsPolitician AnalysisAbdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin

Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin

Party
GAGASAN · Sabah People's Ideas Party
Coalition
GRS
Constituency
Nabawan
State
Sabah
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Why this matters to you

As the Nabawan state assemblyman and former Chairman of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB), Abdul Ghani's work directly affects residents' ability to obtain individual land titles — a prerequisite for securing bank loans, inheritance, and agricultural investment in Sabah's rural interior. His stated goal of settling overlapping land claims means farmers and longhouse communities in Nabawan could gain formal title to land they occupy, unlocking economic opportunities. His advocacy for government-backed agricultural joint ventures through the SLDB also shapes whether rural households in the Pensiangan interior can access structured income programmes.

Summary

Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin is a Sabah politician and GAGASAN member who has represented the rural interior constituency of Nabawan in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly since 2020, having first served as a Sabah senator from 2018 to 2021. He chairs the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) since January 2021 and was re-elected to the Nabawan seat in the November 2025 Sabah state election under the GRS banner. His political focus centres on resolving land tenure disputes and promoting agricultural development for rural communities in Sabah's interior.

Biography

Datuk Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin (born 1960) is a Malaysian politician from Sabah and a member of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN), a component party of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition [1]. He has served as Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Nabawan since the 2020 state election and previously served as a Senator representing Sabah from 2018 to 2021 [1]. His appointment as Senator followed his role as Pensiangan UMNO divisional chief, unanimously endorsed by Sabah assemblymen [2]. He is formerly a member of UMNO Sabah and, subsequently, of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Sabah before moving to GAGASAN [1]. Since January 2021, he has also served as Chairman of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) [1]. In the 2020 Sabah state election, he won Nabawan with a majority of 2,238 votes in a four-cornered fight [3]. He successfully defended the seat in the 2025 Sabah state election on 29 November 2025, securing 5,283 votes with a majority of 1,682 in a nine-cornered contest [4]. Nabawan is located approximately 176 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu and falls within the Pensiangan parliamentary constituency [3]. His stated political priorities centre on resolving overlapping land claims, lot surveying, issuance of individual land titles, and agricultural development for rural interior communities [3].

Known for

Abdul Ghani Mohamed Yassin is known primarily for his sustained focus on land rights and agricultural development in the rural interior constituency of Nabawan. He has served as Chairman of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) since January 2021, giving him direct institutional oversight of land and agricultural development. He is also notable for having transitioned party affiliations — from UMNO Sabah to Bersatu Sabah to GAGASAN — across successive Sabah political realignments.

Political positions

Abdul Ghani's stated political agenda centres on resolving land tenure issues affecting rural communities in interior Sabah. According to Bernama, he has prioritised resolving overlapping land claims, lot surveying, and issuance of individual land titles, claiming more than 60 per cent of such issues were settled during his first term as Nabawan assemblyman. He has advocated for agricultural joint ventures between government agencies — including the SLDB — and rural communities as a pathway to income enhancement. He has criticised the abolition of communal land grants by the previous Warisan state government, contending the reversal was made without adequate study. He frames land security as a prerequisite for rural economic progress.

References

  1. [1]en.wikipedia.org
  2. [2]nst.com.my
  3. [3]bernama.com
  4. [4]freemalaysiatoday.com

Political career

  1. November 2017Unanimously endorsed by Sabah assemblymen as a new Senator representing Sabah, in his capacity as Pensiangan UMNO divisional chief.⛓
  2. 2018–2021Served as a Senator representing Sabah in the Dewan Negara.⛓
  3. 26 September 2020Won the Nabawan state seat (N46) in the 2020 Sabah state election under the GRS coalition (Bersatu), with a majority of 2,238 votes in a four-cornered contest.⛓
  4. January 2021Appointed Chairman of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB).⛓
  5. 2023Joined Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (GAGASAN) following the 2023 Sabah political realignment, having previously been affiliated with Bersatu Sabah.⛓
  6. 12 November 2025Named as GRS–GAGASAN candidate for the Nabawan seat (N46) in the 17th Sabah State Election.⛓
  7. 29 November 2025Re-elected as Nabawan assemblyman in the 2025 Sabah state election, securing 5,283 votes with a majority of 1,682 in a nine-cornered contest.⛓

Election history

  • 2025Nabawan (N46), SabahWon37.1%⛓
  • 2020Nabawan (N46), SabahWon⛓

Stance evolution

Public statements grouped chronologically. The party tag shows which party the politician was contesting under at that point.

  1. 2025GAGASAN
    • If land issues are not resolved, efforts to improve the local economy will not progress.

      Quoted by Bernama during the campaign period for the 2025 Sabah state election, explaining his prioritisation of land tenure as a precondition for rural economic development in Nabawan. · Source

    • That is why we brought government agencies here to explore joint ventures in crops that can generate income for rural communities.

      Quoted by Bernama during the 2025 Sabah state election campaign, describing his approach to agricultural development in Nabawan. · Source

Perspectives on key issues

  • VerifiedFactsAbdul Ghani won the Nabawan seat in both the 2020 and 2025 Sabah state elections. He has served as SLDB Chairman since January 2021 and was a Sabah senator from 2018 to 2021. He is currently a member of GAGASAN within the ruling GRS coalition.⛓
  • GovernmentAs a GRS assemblyman and former SLDB chairman, Abdul Ghani has stated that resolving land overlaps and fostering agricultural joint ventures are the central deliverables of his tenure, claiming more than 60 per cent of land issues in Nabawan were settled in his first term.⛓
  • OppositionThe Star reported in August 2023 that a PKR leader from Pensiangan filed an MACC report alleging Abdul Ghani misused his SLDB chairmanship in connection with a land application made under his own name; the Nabawan GAGASAN Youth wing disputed this, stating the matter had been explained and settled months earlier during the state assembly sitting in May 2023.⛓

Sources

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