JOHOR BARU: Ahmad Nawfal, the son of Pas Dewan Ulama chief Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed, is set to become one of the youngest candidates to contest a parliamentary seat in Johor in the 14th General Election (GE14).
Ahmad Nawfal will square off against opposition leader Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Pagoh. Muhyiddin is defending the seat he won under a Barisan Nasional ticket.
Ahmad Nawfal, 34, who is a Business Management graduate from Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (UiTM), was announced as the Islamist party’s candidate for the seat by state Pas liaison chief, Abdullah Husin, on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Nawfal’s father, Mahfodz, will take on Muhyiddin for the Gambir state seat.
In the 134th General Election, Mahfodz lost with a razor-thin majority of 310 votes to Barisan Nasional candidate M. Asojan in Gambir in a four-cornered contest.
Ahmad Nawfal is among 51 new candidates put up by Johor Pas for 61 seats. Ahmad Nawfal, who is attached to the Tahfiz al-Quran Al Muhammadi in Parit Medan, Tangkak, is no stranger to the Pagoh community as he had been helping his father who had previously contested the same seat.
The father and son combination, who are from Parit Medan, is set to raise eyebrows in the local community by taking on Muhyiddin.
Apart from Mahfodz, three other Pas candidates will contest in both parliament and state seats in Johor. Kluang parliamentary seat candidate, Muhammad Hasbullah, 30, will be battling for the Mahkota state seat in the same parliamentary constituency.
Dr Mohd Mazri Yahya, 49, will contest both the Pulai parliamentary seat and Jeram state seat in Muar. He is set to go up against Parti Amanah Negara (PAN) deputy president, Salahuddin Ayub, in both seats.
Pas is also fielding Kolej Universiti Islam Melaka (KUIM) Academic Fellow Dr Baharom Mohamad, 62, as its candidate for the Pontian parliamentary seat and Pulai Sebatang state seat.