Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi questioned Annuar’s motive for making the prediction, saying it appeared that the latter was looking to leave his current party, PAS, to return to Umno.

Puad said Annuar was particularly left red-faced as Perikatan Nasional’s by-election director when Umno won the Nenggiri by-election last month by 3,352 votes.

“Annuar’s political future in PAS is pitch dark. Besides, PAS does not have an ‘LV culture’,” he said, taking a swipe at Annuar wearing a Louis Vuitton jacket during aid distribution in Nenggiri.

“To remain in politics, he has to look for another party. He thinks he can become someone again by returning to Umno,” he said in a Facebook post.

Annuar, who was sacked by Umno almost two years ago, had said BN would be able to secure more than 30,000 votes as the coalition had mobilised its federal and state election machinery.

The former BN secretary-general also reportedly praised Johor Umno chief Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the state government during the by-election campaign.

Puad claimed that these were Annuar’s strategies in hopes of making a return to Umno. “He knows that he can only regain prominence through Umno. However, he should not forget that Umno knows him very well.”