Muhyiddin, the Bersatu president, denied speculation that Hamzah would be replaced by vice-president Radzi Jidin, insisting that the status quo remains.

“No such thing. There’s no change,” he told reporters after campaigning for PN’s candidate for Pantai Dalit in the Sabah state election.

Muhyiddin also said there would be no change to the Bersatu leadership lineup and that its Supreme Council had decided the party should not be distracted from preparing for the next general election (GE16).

He said those in the top Bersatu leadership shared good ties with one another, and that they backed him to continue leading the party.

“Everything is going well. They are backing me as one … so that there will be no prolonged issues. We want Bersatu and PN to be strong ahead of GE16,” he said.

Nineteen Bersatu MPs, including Muhyiddin, convened at the former prime minister’s home on Tuesday night for a high-profile meeting amid an apparent leadership tussle with Hamzah.

A viral letter calling for Hamzah’s removal as Bersatu deputy president and opposition leader made its rounds hours before the meeting was held, claiming that he was behind moves that undermined the party leadership.

The letter, which was drafted to be signed off by a Bersatu elected representative or leader, proposed that Radzi, the Putrajaya MP, take over the role of opposition leader.

Muhyiddin later said all 18 MPs stated their backing for him as Bersatu president, while Sabak Bernam MP Kalam Salan said there were no discussions about replacing Hamzah as the opposition leader at the meeting.

Nonetheless, speculation continued to swirl as Muhyiddin had posted a video of Radzi leading the MPs, including Hamzah, in a short chant stating their support for the Bersatu president.