The source told FMT that the split over how to deal with Zahid, who is on garden leave, is apparent as one leader and a party wing are against his return to leadership in Umno.

But it said resistance against Najib is “more subtle” due to the former prime minister’s recent surge in popularity.

Najib, who stepped down as Umno president following the party’s dismal outing in the last general election, has been active on the ground and is seen as one of the most vocal critics of Pakatan Harapan, especially on social media.

Earlier this week, Singapore’s Straits Times reported that Umno acting president Mohamad Hasan and his vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin had been tasked with overseeing changes to the party constitution.

It said this includes an amendment to Clause 9.9, which would see party leaders facing court action dropped from their posts.

Both Mohamad and Khaled have denied that the proposed amendments are targeted at Zahid and Najib.

However, political analyst Kamarul Zaman Yusoff said Umno had split into several camps with opposing views following its defeat in the May 9 polls.

“Although it is not known who they are, there are different camps in Umno who want to rebrand the party,” he told FMT.

He added that it would be easier to remove Zahid as Najib has a larger support base.

He also said those who wanted the two out believed it would help “rectify and rejuvenate” Umno.

When contacted, Nazri Aziz who was removed as Barisan Nasional secretary-general in March, said he was in the dark over the motive behind talk of ousting Zahid and Najib.

He added that he had been “out of Umno politics for a long time”.

“I have not heard of it,” he said, adding that if the proposed amendments are raised at the party’s annual general meeting, the Padang Rengas division would reject them.

“This is on the principle that nobody is guilty until it is proven in the court of law.”