Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has denied allegations that he had asked his predecessor Hamzah Zainudin to invalidate the PKR leadership election results last year.

Speaking to reporters in Kuala Lumpur today, Saifuddin said he had indeed met Hamzah a few times last year for meetings between the then-opposition Pakatan Harapan and government representatives.

However, he said that claims that he had sought the invalidation of the PKR election results were Hamzah's "political statements".

Instead, Saifuddin (above) said that if he had wanted to invalidate the elections, he would have done so in his two replies to the Registrar of Societies (ROS), when it issued two show-cause letters to the party.

The letters were issued after the ROS received complaints from party members on the election.

Saifuddin said that as secretary-general, he was compelled to reply to those letters within two weeks or risk having the party deregistered.

"The letters asked us to explain why the party should not be deregistered. Hence, we addressed each issue raised.

"If the claim is that I'm trying to get the party deregistered after I lost to Rafizi (in the PKR deputy president race), I would not have responded to those letters.

"It was that simple," said Saifuddin.

During the PKR leadership elections in May last year, Rafizi won the deputy president race, soundly beating Saifuddin.

Former home minister Hamzah Zainudin

At a Perikatan Nasional rally in Alor Setar last night, Hamzah claimed that a week after the results were announced, he was approached by Saifuddin.

"Saifuddin, don't forget, after you lost, you came to meet (me), you brought a letter saying 'please cancel the PKR election (results)'.

"The letter is with me. Don't play with me," Hamzah said.