Puad Zarkashi said Ahmad, who is also a Supreme Council member, explained his recent comments to the party’s top leadership during a meeting tonight.

“He explained that his intention was to urge Umno members to support the unity government’s candidates. That’s all. He did not mention DAP.

“So, we have accepted his explanation because our goal is for the unity government to complete its full term,” he told reporters after the Umno Supreme Council meeting.

Last week, Ahmad called on Umno members to view DAP candidates in the state polls as representatives of the unity government rather than the party itself.

Fellow Supreme Council member Isham Jalil subsequently cautioned that such remarks could erode support for Umno.

On Wednesday, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi acknowledged that party members were still finding it difficult to accept DAP as an ally in the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

However, the deputy prime minister expressed his willingness to engage with grassroots members and explain the cooperation between Umno and DAP, a component of Pakatan Harapan.

Meanwhile, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin stated that seat allocations for the state elections would be finalised by the end of this month.

He mentioned that discussions were still ongoing at the state level.

The elections for the state assemblies of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Kedah and Terengganu are scheduled for this year and are likely to be held in July.

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