Former Selangor menteri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib claimed that he never planned to bring along eight state assemblypersons with him to join Umno.

"I don't know who took it upon themselves to claim that. I don't know where this spin master got the information from.

"All I know is that I wanted to rejoin (Umno) and I wasn't bringing anyone with me," he told a press conference in Shah Alam this morning.

Muhammad, who is better known as Mat Taib, was responding to the Malaysian Insight, which quoted unnamed sources on the alleged exodus.

This came after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's announcement on the former menteri besar's return to Umno.

The announcement courted flak as critics claimed the hype surrounding it gave the impression that Najib had intended to make a major declaration.

Conspiracy theories then emerged of how the announcement was supposed to include the political position of several Selangor assemblypersons but that this somehow failed to materialise.

Amanah Youth vice-chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin had claimed it would be naive to believe that Najib held a much-hyped press conference just to announce the return of Muhammad.

Shazni Munir believes that what transpired at the press conference was the postponement of a coup. However, Selangor Pakatan Harapan leaders, including Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, dismissed this.

Umno information chief Annuar Musa then added fuel to the fire, saying that more from the opposition would cross over to the BN.

Meanwhile, Muhammad said all he wanted to do by returning to Umno was to reach out to the Malays and it was up to the community whether to accept him or otherwise.

"I only want to speak (for the Malays) and I don't have plans to bring anyone with me.

"(The plan was) not from me. But I don't know about others," added the former menteri besar, who previously quit Umno to join PAS and later moved to PKR.