KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 — Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has urged Umno to leave Perikatan Nasional (PN) and not give up any seats to them in the 15th general election (GE15).

However, Nazri said in a Malaysiakini report that Umno should remain in the coalition for now to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Right now we support the government to fight Covid-19. The health of the public is important so we have to support (the government) now.

"But we are only with PN in government (not in the general election),” he said.

Umno leaders have been unhappy after Bersatu secured the Sabah chief minister’s position following the Sabah state election.

The party had also given up strongholds that it had originally won in 2018 to those who had defected to Bersatu.

Nazri said that Umno would face the same fate if they remain with PN in GE15.

"The Bersatu seats used to be Umno seats. Come GE15, we might have to concede all these seats to Bersatu and this will not benefit Umno,” he added.

Fifteen of Bersatu’s MPs were originally elected on an Umno-BN ticket in 2018 before they defected.