Muhammad Abdul Karim

Summary

Muhammad Abdul Karim is a Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) assemblyman who won the N61 Segama state seat at the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025 with 7,325 votes and a majority of 4,058. He was one of eleven successful new-face candidates for Warisan, reclaiming a seat previously held by the party before a 2021 defection. No personal biographical details have been reported by credible allowlisted sources at this time.

Biography

Muhammad Abdul Karim is a member of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) who won the N61 Segama state seat in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly at the 17th Sabah State Election held on 29 November 2025 [1]. He stood as one of Warisan's new-face candidates — the party fielded over 60 per cent fresh faces in the election, including young people and professionals [2]. In a seven-cornered contest, Muhammad Abdul Karim defeated six rivals, including former federal minister and independent candidate Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, who had previously held the Segama seat on a Warisan ticket in 2020 before quitting the party in 2021 [3]. Muhammad Abdul Karim secured 7,325 votes, a majority of 4,058 over his nearest rival, PH's Romansa Lamin, who garnered 3,267 votes [1]. He was confirmed as official winner by NST and Malay Mail [4]. Segama is one of the thirteen new state constituencies created following the 2019 redistribution and presented for the first time in the 2020 snap election; as of 2020, the constituency has a population of 105,705 [5]). The constituency falls within the Lahad Datu district in Sabah's Tawau Division, an area economically significant for its large oil palm plantations and mills [6]. No further personal biographical details — including date of birth, educational background, or prior career — have been reported by any allowlisted source at this time.

Known for

Muhammad Abdul Karim is known as one of eleven Warisan new-face candidates who won seats in the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025, representing the N61 Segama constituency [7]. His victory reclaimed a seat that Warisan had lost through a high-profile defection in 2021, when then-incumbent Mohamaddin Ketapi quit the party to become a government-friendly independent [2]. He is part of a cohort of new assemblymen whose success was described by a Universiti Malaysia Sabah academic as a signal of voter appetite for fresh leadership in Sabah [1].

Political positions

No statements of political position by Muhammad Abdul Karim have been reported by any allowlisted source. His party, Parti Warisan Sabah, contested the 17th Sabah State Election in opposition to the GRS-led state government. The constituency of Segama is economically significant for its oil palm industry; previous reporting on the seat has highlighted constituent demands for basic infrastructure and development as key local issues [4]. No further detail on his personal policy stances is available from allowlisted sources at this time.

Political career

1. November 2025Named as Warisan's candidate for the N61 Segama seat in the 17th Sabah State Election, announced at Warisan's candidate endorsement ceremony at its headquarters in Kolombong.⛓
2. 29 November 2025Won the N61 Segama state seat at the 17th Sabah State Election with 7,325 votes and a majority of 4,058, defeating six rivals including former minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi.⛓
3. 30 November 2025Confirmed by Bernama as one of eleven Warisan new faces elected to the Sabah State Legislative Assembly in the 17th Sabah State Election.⛓

Election history

• 2025N61 Segama (Sabah State Legislative Assembly)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• ExpertA Universiti Malaysia Sabah academic, Syahruddin Awang Ahmad, said the success of new candidates like Muhammad Abdul Karim was 'a rejection of the status quo', signifying that Sabah was entering a new political chapter shaped by current issues, whether grassroots demands or emerging national sentiments, and that party loyalty alone was no longer the primary factor in securing voter support.⛓
• VerifiedFactsMuhammad Abdul Karim won N61 Segama with 7,325 votes and a majority of 4,058, confirmed as official by NST and Malay Mail. He was one of 11 successful Warisan new faces in the 17th Sabah State Election. The election resulted in a hung assembly with GRS winning 29 seats and Warisan 25.⛓
• OppositionWarisan fielded Muhammad Abdul Karim as a new face in a seat that had been held by Mohamaddin Ketapi as a Warisan assemblyman before he quit the party in 2021. Warisan positioned its slate of over 60 per cent fresh candidates as professionals and young people of integrity chosen for their ability to serve.⛓