KUALA LUMPUR: Several Umno leaders have arrived at Menara Dato Onn here tonight ahead of its Supreme Council Meeting.
Among those spotted include Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Umno Supreme Council members Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi, Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Negri Sembilan Wanita Umno chief Puan Sri Bibi Sharliza Mohd Khalid.
Tonight's meeting is expected to focus on the recent defeat in the Kemaman by-election.
The setback in Kemaman, a former stronghold of the Barisan Nasional (BN), has raised concerns, requiring the leadership to address the situation immediately.
Insiders suggest that the party's top leadership may engage in a comprehensive post-mortem analysis of the by-election result during the meeting, with discussions to revolve around the reasons behind the defeat, campaign strategies and assessing the overall performance of the party.
In the by-election, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, better known as Dr Sam, defended the seat for Pas, defeating his BN rival Gen (Rtd) Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor with a whopping 37,220 votes.
Additionally, sources also hinted at the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle being discussed during the meeting.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not rule out adding more ministers to the existing cabinet as part of the reshuffling exercise.
Another possible agenda is on the fate of Supreme Council member Isham Jalil, who has been vocal, especially over Umno's cooperation with DAP.
Earlier today, Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi challenged Isham to attend tonight's council meeting to air his grouses about Umno's cooperation with DAP in person.
Zahid said Isham did not attend the council's last three meetings.
Isham, in a video posted on Facebook, said that the Malays were rejecting Umno as it had strayed from its core principles and was willing to become a "lackey of DAP."