PH out of ideas, using Najib issue to sway Johor voters, says Umno sec-gen

SHAH ALAM - Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki has claimed that Pakatan Harapan appears to have run out of campaign issues, as it continues to use the royal pardon issue involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as a campaign topic in the 2026 Johor State Election.

The Umno secretary-general said he found it strange that PH's campaign, from its top leaders to grassroots members, frequently mentions Najib's name wherever they go.

He alleged that PH is trying to mislead the public into believing that if Barisan Nasional wins the Johor state election, the former Pekan MP would be released.

"Surely the people of Johor cannot be fooled in such a manner. What does an election have to do with someone's release?

"The people are now wiser and are not easily deceived as they were in 2018 with all sorts of empty promises.

"There is only one way for Najib to be released, just as it was for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim previously, through the pardon power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as provided under Article 42(1) of the Federal Constitution," he said in a Facebook post on Monday.

As part of the Federal Government, Asyraf Wajdi said PH should campaign more responsibly and base its arguments on facts.

"Campaign responsibly. Since when is a person's release determined by an election?

"Present realistic offers to the people and explain how you intend to counter BN's Maju Johor 2030 agenda. This is the era of ideas and facts in politics, not the era of sentiment and false narratives," he said.