Rubbishing such speculation, Hafiz said he was in fact travelling with Akmal to Kinabatangan, Sabah, to help Umno campaign for the upcoming by-election.

“It’s not true,” he told FMT.

“In fact, we are heading to Kinabatangan now for (tomorrow’s) nominations for the by-election.”

Malaysiakini had earlier quoted sources as saying Akmal had expressed his intention to resign as Umno Youth chief and Merlimau assemblyman.

They said the Melaka executive councillor had informed a group of Umno Youth leaders of this in a WhatsApp message while in Shanghai, China.

The purported message stated that he would be relinquishing all party positions as well as his Melaka state seat after returning from Shanghai.

Akmal hinted at quitting his post on Wednesday, saying “perhaps it is time for me to step aside” after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi rejected his call for the party to leave the government.

Zahid also rejected Akmal’s call for Umno to revive its cooperation with PAS under the Muafakat Nasional charter.

The Umno Youth chief had presented the resolution in an Umno political bureau meeting on Monday.

Earlier today, DAP Youth repeated its challenge for Akmal to resign from the Melaka executive council, in line with his stated principles, as his call for Umno to quit the government had been rejected.