UMNO president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied talk that he invited former Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin to rejoin the party.

According to Sinar Harian, Ahmad Zahid said his recent meeting with Khairy at a wedding was coincidental and did not involve any political discussion.

“We met at the wedding and did not hold any discussions. Whatever was seen in the media was just news. I respect that and do not want to reprimand any reporter who wrote about it, as done by someone else,” he said in Putrajaya on Tuesday.

This clarification comes after news reports claimed Khairy, a former Health Minister and Rembau MP, was expected to rejoin Umno ahead of the Sabah state elections later this month, and had received blessings from Umno’s leadership.

Khairy was sacked from Umno in 2023 after criticising the party’s leadership during the 15th General Election campaign.

On the Sabah state election, Ahmad Zahid said Barisan Nasional’s seat negotiations are almost complete.

“Yes, almost there. I would say we are about 95% complete,” he said, adding that an official announcement is expected when he visits Kota Kinabalu next week.

He also revealed that Barisan will be fielding more new faces as candidates for the Sabah polls.

The Sabah state elections will be held on Nov 29, with nomination day set for Nov 15 and early voting on Nov 25.