Forcing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to resign won't solve anything, said Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

In fact former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad hasn't solved anything since he stepped down himself, he said.

"Will (forcing Najib out) solve the problem? He (Mahathir) stepped down also, but that didn't solve the problem," he told reporters at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.

Tengku Razaleigh added Mahathir's meddling has actually made matters worse.

"He (Mahathir) had said Dollah (former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) was a problem. Dollah stepped down and now there are more problems," he said.

The Gua Musang MP said this when asked about Mahathir's ongoing efforts to oust Najib from power.

The long-reigning former premier claimed Umno and BN would lose the next general election if Najib stays on as prime minister.

Razaleigh, fondly known as Ku Li, is an old rival of Mahathir's.

The duo battled for Umno's presidency in 1987, a contest Mahathir eventually won amidst controversy.

The battle split the party in two, with Mahathir forming Umno Baru after the party was deregistered, and Razaleigh forming the shortlived Semangat 46.