He said Anifah had faxed a letter in the morning but Mustapa, better known as Tok Pa, had yet to hand over his letter although he had announced he was quitting the party.

“We did not receive any letter from Tok Pa, we just read a statement coming from him,” he said at the Umno headquarters today.

Asked if Mustapa had officially quit from the party, Annuar said they were trying to get oral confirmation as Mustapa was currently not in the country.

“For the time being, we assume that it is true. However, I have texted Tok Pa to confirm so we can issue a letter to him that we have no objection. We wish him the best,” he said.

A list claiming that 17 Umno MPs will quit the party is making the rounds following the resignation of Mustapa and Anifah.

Earlier today, it was reported that Anifah, the former foreign minister, had quit the party less than 24 hours after Umno Supreme Council member Mustapa’s announcement.

Mustapa, who had been with Umno for some 40 years, said the party’s direction was no longer in line with his principles.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today hit out at Anifah and Mustapa for quitting the party, saying their actions were “not commendable”, coming at a time when the former ruling party was being tested.

However, Annuar said the resignations were not surprising as they were aware that Mustapa and Anifah had their own “problems”.

“Anifah’s problem is in the context of Sabah politics while only Tok Pa can explain his problem.”

He said Umno did not depend on any individual to remain strong but that it depended on the people’s support.

“We have split a few times but Umno is still there. We lost Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar Ibrahim. But our strength does not depend on individuals.”