KUALA LUMPUR: PPBM today said it was too soon for the party to spread its wings to Sabah, hours after Sabah Umno was crippled by the exodus of dozens of senior party leaders and elected representatives who declared themselves as independents.

PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin said he had received several suggestions to expand the party to Sabah.

“There’s a process that we need to go through which includes a discussion with the Sabah leadership.

“I don’t think it’s going to be an issue. We will explain the need for them to evaluate the current situation in Sabah,” he told reporters today.

Muhyiddin also said the move by 36 Sabah Umno leaders to quit the party today was an “unexpected turn of events”.

But he said PPBM would tread carefully to ensure there would not be any clash with its Sabah ally, Warisan.

Sabah Umno chief Hajiji Mohd Noor today joined other elected representatives, senators and senior division leaders exiting the party and becoming independents, effectively crippling the party’s chapter in the state.

Hajiji told a packed press conference that the decision was unanimous, saying it was taken because “Umno is not what it used to be”.

Those leaving comprised four MPs, nine assemblymen, two senators and 21 division heads.