PONTIAN: Simpang Renggam member of parliament Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad said he felt "bullied" after his removal as Johor Umno liaison committee chairman.
Hasni, who is also the Benut assemblyman, said he had given his all to help Umno alongside its allies in Barisan Nasional (BN) to retain Johor during the 15th state election last year.
BN picked Hasni as its 'poster boy' when the coalition contested in the Johor state election, which concluded on March 13 in 2022.
"Since I had assumed the role of the Johor Umno liaison committee chairman, I had given my best including leading Johor BN until we managed to win 40 of the total 56 state seats during the state polls.
"Not only I had ensured full attendance from 26 party divisions, I had also looked after the welfare of delegates who attended the 2022 Umno General Assembly recently," he told reporters after attending a wedding reception at Citra Sri Pinang here today.
Hasni said it was unfair for the Umno top leadership to accuse him of going against the party's wishes for supporting the idea that the top positions in Umno should be contested in the upcoming party polls.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan last night announced that Hasni was replaced with Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin as the Johor Umno chief.
The decision, said Ahmad, was made during the Umno Supreme Council, which met at Menara Dato' Onn in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
"I was aware of the rumours (about him being removed as Johor Umno chief) before attending the meeting last night. At the meeting, I was not given the chance to explain myself," he said without elaborating.