Former minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has vowed to remain in Umno despite being a supporter of PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim.

The Umno supreme council member also said his support for Anwar would not change regardless of whether the latter becomes prime minister or otherwise.

“I am a supporter of DSAI (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim). I support Anwar. Whether he becomes prime minister or not, I will support DSAI.

“I have always been his friend. When he was in trouble I still supported him although I was a minister, and I also attended (Anwar's daughter) Nurul Izzah's wedding.

“I supported him, but I just did not leave Umno,” the Padang Rengas MP told reporters when met at the Parliament lobby this afternoon.

In the run-up to the Oct 13 Port Dickson by-election, Nazri had offered to campaign for Anwar in order for the latter to return to Parliament.

Earlier, the former minister, who was a vocal defender of former premier Najib Abdul Razak, was asked if he foresaw more Umno lawmakers exiting the party.

Nazri replied that while he could not speak on behalf of others, he, however, intended to remain with Umno.

Over the recent weeks, Umno has witnessed several of its leaders quitting, which led to the allegation that Mahathir is threatening them with court action if they failed to do so.

In an article published in Umno Online this morning, a former aide to Najib claimed that more opposition leaders are expected to be hauled up.

Isham Jalil said with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in power again, history would repeat itself in the form of another “Ops Lalang” crackdown.

In the 1987 dragnet, more than 100 opposition leaders and activists were arrested under the now defunct Internal Security Act during Mahathir's first tenure as prime minister.