KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 ― If Kedah Umno no longer wants Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir as mentri besar, they should follow provisions in the state Constitution to seek his removal, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said.

The Kelantan prince better known as “Ku Li” also said that the ouster bid against Mukhriz could possibly be because of his father Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent attacks against the Najib administration.

But he stressed that if Mukhriz is to be removed, this should be done according to democratic principles.

“If you want to change his  (Mukhriz) position in the party, you can do so but if you want to change him as mentri besar, it must be done according to the Constitution,” Ku Li explained.

Mukhriz’s removal as Kedah mentri besar is expected to take place soon as his rivals now claim to have the minimum number of votes needed to prove he does not have the mandate to lead.

According to Kedah state executive councillor Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain, the two MCA assemblymen who were reported as saying Monday they were not supportive of the ouster have now changed their minds.

He told Malay Mail Online yesterday that the duo have agreed to sign statutory declarations (SDs) to declare their backing of the bid.

The Tanjung Dawai assemblyman and Merbok division chief was also reported to have said that Mukhriz’s replacement has been identified, and that the new MB is an “experienced politician and a well-respected leader.”

There are 36 state seats in Kedah, with BN holding 21 (19 from Umno and two from MCA) and the opposition, 15. According to recent news reports, the only two Umno representatives who did not sign the SD were Mukhriz and Jitra assemblyman Datuk Aminuddin Omar.

In a news conference last Wednesday, Kedah Umno liaison deputy chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah led a delegation comprising 14 Umno division chiefs, state and federal lawmakers who expressed loss of confidence in Mukhriz and called for his removal as mentri besar.

Among the reasons given for their discontent was Mukhriz’s purported failure to govern the state, to unite the party and his lack of strategy to face the next general elections due 2018.

Both Mukhriz and Ahmad Bashah have met with Datuk Seri Najib Razak separately since the leadership tussle exploded Wednesday, but the Umno president and prime minister has yet to announce any decision on the matter.