As he entered the nomination centre at the Sik district agriculture office, he was greeted with chants of “tolak Sanusi” (reject Sanusi) from Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters.

The caretaker Kedah menteri besar calmly waved his hands at them, a gesture resembling that of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in a photo from the late 1990s, at the start of the “reformasi” movement.

PN supporters then responded to the jeers with shouts of “takbir” and “salawat”.

Sanusi was charged at the Selayang sessions court two weeks ago with two counts of making seditious statements against royalty.

The charges are related to a speech he made at a ceramah in Gombak, Selangor, on July 11.

The PN election director pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming that his arrest was politically motivated.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was also reported to have said that Sanusi will remain a candidate for the Kedah state election since his court case will only commence in October.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Sanusi will be called in to give his statement in its investigation into alleged corruption and illegal rare earth elements mining in Kedah.

Sanusi is seeking to defend his Jeneri seat for a second term.