Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said had reportedly defected from UMNO because his request to resign from the post after his daughter’s wedding reception on May 17 was declined.

When contacted by Astro AWANI, Ahmad Said said, he had requested his resignation as MB to be postponed but it had been rejected by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who reportedly said the request was a “personal matter”.

“Is it not enough, all the things that I have done in the five years I had served as Menteri Besar?

“I had asked to postpone, not that I did not want to resign, I just wanted to wait until after my daughter’s wedding reception,” he said.

Ahmad Said added, the change of MB had been directed by Najib himself.

A few hours after Ahmad Said resigned as Menteri Besar, Ajil State Assemblyman Ghazali Taib also defected from UMNO to be an Independent, leaving the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly now with Barisan Nasional (BN) and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact evenly matched with 15 seats each and two Independents.

According to Ahmad Said, he is not sure if other State Assemblymen will follow suit and defect from the party.