Gerakan president Dominic Lau today claimed that his party received overtures on the possibility of Mohamed Azmin Ali joining his party.

"It wasn't direct lah. There were PKR and NGO leaders who met and informed us that Azmin wanted to join Gerakan.

"We welcome anyone who agree with our ideology," he told reporters in Kedah.

Lau said that the overtures were received even before the sex video controversy implicating Azmin, the PKR deputy president, broke on June 12.

Lau refused to reveal details of the emissaries, other than saying "several" PKR leaders and leaders of other Pakatan Harapan component parties wanted to see Azmin join Gerakan.

Asked if the overtures came from the party's top leadership or grassroots, Lau replied: "All levels".

Gerakan was once a major component party of BN. However, the party went on a downward spiral, starting in 2008, by losing control of Penang and now have zero seats in Parliament.

However, the party still has branches set up throughout the country – except in Sarawak – and has many valuable assets, including real estate and a university license.