KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Datuk Lokman Noor Adam purported today that Umno has expelled him as a member, hours after the party’s supreme council concluded a meeting at the party’s headquarters here.

Taking to social media, Lokman claimed he was told that voting on his expulsion was via a show of hands by the Umno supreme council.

However, Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa did not announce this or any other sacking in his statement following the meeting.

"I accept this decision by Zahid, but I will remain loyal to Umno,” Lokman said on Facebook today.

"I will continue my fight against Pakatan Harapan and enemy saboteurs within Umno through a cybertrooper NGO in Malaysia.”

Earlier, Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin confirmed that Lokman will be referred to the Umno disciplinary board for publicly criticising party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Bung Moktar also did not say anything about Lokman’s purported sacking.

Lokman, who is also an Umno supreme council member, did not attend today’s meeting where he was expected to be questioned over his remarks about Ahmad Zahid.

He previously attacked Ahmad Zahid for reportedly saying that Umno must work with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as PAS was doing so, calling Zahid "weak” and "having no principle”.

He had expressed disappointment with Ahmad Zahid and said Umno needed leaders who were prepared to fight to defend the people, and not those "willing to compromise with those in power.”

In his posting, Lokman vowed to re-apply to be an Umno member when Datuk Seri Najib Razak returns as the party president.

In a separate Facebook posting, former Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zakarshi labelled Lokman’s sacking "unwise”.

Mohd Puad claimed that Lokman was sacked following recommendations made from the political bureau and not the disciplinary board.

"What is the function of the disciplinary board? Why similar action was not taken against Hishammuddin Hussein? 

"It is not that I want to defend Lokman, but action taken must be fair and non-selective,” he said in a Facebook posting today.

Mohd Puad was referring to a disciplinary hearing against Hishammuddin over a clandestine meeting last year between Umno MPs and PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali that took place without the knowledge of either party’s leaders.

The disciplinary hearing was unexpectedly postponed, prompting former party disciplinary chief Tan Sri Apandi Ali to resign in apparent protest after alleging interference in his duties.

Mohd Puad also said he expressed his views during the supreme council meeting but called it a failure.