PKR Youth chief candidate Akmal Nasir is the latest to fire a salvo at the party's deputy president Azmin Ali, accusing him of not being loyal to Anwar Ibrahim.

He based this on Azmin's eleventh-hour decision to defend his post amid speculation that he might contest Anwar for the president's position.

"If he is with Anwar, he should say so from the start.

"If Azmin really wanted to partner with Anwar, the moment Anwar announced he was going to contest the presidency, he should have immediately stated his support and say 'I am ready to assist as the number two'... or whatever number," he told a forum in Kuala Lumpur last night.

Akmal is aligned to vice-president Rafizi Ramli, who is challenging Azmin for the number two post.

Azmin had only confirmed that he would be defending his post on Aug 5, the nomination day for the PKR's central leadership positions.

Previously, a PKR lawmaker Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid had accused Azmin of colluding with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his trusted advisor Daim Zainuddin to prevent Anwar from becoming the next prime minister.

However, both Azmin and Anwar have dismissed such talk, with the former reaffirming his loyalty to the incoming president.

Anwar, on the other hand, said he is confident that Mahathir would hand over power as promised before the May 9 general election.

Abdullah later apologised for his allegation.