PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution last night promised Pandan voters that a "senior leader" will be the party's candidate to replace incumbent MP Rafizi Ramli. 

Thanking the constituents for their support, Saiduddin assured that a worthy replacement was in the works for Rafizi, who has been ruled out of contesting in the 14th general election due to his conviction for leaking bank data related to the National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd. 

"We are not at a stage to announce candidates yet, but it will be tough for any candidate to maintain the high standard set by Rafizi here. 

"God willing, PKR and Pandan will have to accept the reality that Rafizi won't be able to contest here again. PKR marks our salute and our thanks to Pandan voters. 

"We will put a candidate who is among our senior leaders... believe me when I say we will give you a candidate who is the best among the best, and who is from the top leadership,” he told a 300-strong crowd from an Invoke Rebuilding The Nation rally van in Taman Seraya, Pandan.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who has been widely touted to contest in Pandan, also spoke at the rally, which was Invoke's first ever, in Rafizi's constituency.

Rafizi, who founded Invoke, personally invited her to the stage and encouraged the crowd to cheer for her.

Nurul Izzah (photo) is expected to leave her Lembah Pantai seat after the addition of federal police headquarters Bukit Aman, comprising almost 7,000 police voters, into the constituency, in the recent re-delineation exercise.

She won by a slim 1,847 majority against BN-Umno’s Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin in the last election.

'Pandan the safest PKR seat'

In the last election, Rafizi won the former MCA stronghold with a resounding 26,729 majority, making it the largest majority won by PKR in any constituency.

When asked if he had a preferred successor in mind, he laughed.

“That’s not my choice, I have no preference.

“But as Saifuddin mentioned, it’s going to be a very senior party leader, it’s quite obvious.

“Pandan is very symbolic to PKR, it is the safest seat for PKR... I think Pandan becomes associated with the kind of seat senior leaders will go for,” he told Malaysiakini after the rally.