Former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has rejected a position on Umno's supreme council, just hours after he said that it was an honour to be appointed.

"After thinking about this thoroughly and deeply, I think it's unreasonable for me to accept my appointment as an Umno supreme council member.

"What plays in my mind is that my appointment will be mired by all sorts of negative perception that will be linked to whatever move and decision I made while I was a judge and the attorney-general," Apandi said in a brief statement.

Earlier today he was among 11 people appointed by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to the party’s supreme council.

Apandi likened his return to Umno to a fish returning to its spawning grounds.

However, the move was not received well by everyone.

Kedah Umno Youth chief Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin said appointing the former attorney-general was a political mistake, as the people knew about his alleged involvement in past scandals.

As attorney-general, Apandi had cleared former premier Najib Abdul Razak of any wrongdoing in the 1MDB and SRC International scandals.

Najib has since been charged for the SRC International case and is still being probed for the 1MDB scandal.