Barisan Nasional today announced that it will field the former political secretary to ex-Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee in the upcoming Gaya parliamentary by-election.

Yong was the former MP for Gaya but was disqualified after the Federal Court rejected his appeal to overturn a verdict that found him guilty of breaching the Election Offences Act.

His disqualification paved the way for the Oct 12 by-election. Nomination of candidates will take place tomorrow.

According to Bernama , Liew Teck Chan's candidacy was announced after a state BN meeting held in Kota Kinabalu this morning.

The 54-year-old politician is also the vice-president of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) which is helmed by Yong.

'Voters know me'

The candidate has pledged to do his best to retain the seat for the ruling coalition.

Liew said the chances for a victory are bright because leaders from all the BN component parties have promised to help him.

"Voters in Gaya know me. More than 17 years ago, I helped and followed Datuk Yong around when dealing with the people, especially in solving their problems," he said.

Yong, whose application for a royal pardon was rejected, said after his disqualification that he wanted someone from his party to contest the seat.

The BN candidate is likely to face Keadilan Sabah deputy chief Christina Liew and DAP Kota Kinabalu division chief Dr Hiew King Cheu in the contest.