Upko president Ewon Benedick said in a Facebook post the application was submitted to chief minister Hajiji Noor when he led a delegation to meet the GRS chairman today.

He said the Upko Supreme Council, which met on May 25, had unanimously resolved to join GRS, a decision that was also discussed at the divisional level beforehand.

“Upko wants to contribute to the unity and cooperation of Sabah-based parties to strengthen efforts to develop Sabah’s future and to fight for rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution,” he said.

Ewon said Upko’s Sabah First vision aligned with GRS’s Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 roadmap, and that closer cooperation among Sabah-based parties was needed to advance the state.

“I wish to thank the chief minister for welcoming Upko’s decision to join (GRS),” he said.

Upko is part of the GRS-led state government, with Ewon serving as one of its three deputy chief ministers.

The party won three seats in the 17th Sabah state election and later threw its support behind Hajiji, whose coalition secured 29 of 73 seats.

Upko was part of Barisan Nasional from 1994 until 2018. It left the coalition after the 14th general election in 2018 to form the Sabah government with Warisan and PH.

It then formally joined PH in August 2021 and contested under the coalition’s banner in Sabah during the 15th general election the following year.

Upko left PH in November 2025 after Ewon resigned as federal entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister, citing the party’s principle in upholding the MA63 and Sabah’s constitutional rights.

The Penampang MP said he could not agree with the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ position on Sabah’s entitlement to 40% of federal revenue derived from the state.