KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 -- Former Kota Belud MP Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan has stepped down as Tuaran Umno division chief, saying the party needs younger leaders to take charge, while retaining his role on Umno's supreme council.

The former federal minister said his resignation, effective April 1, was not driven by internal issues in Sabah Umno but by a need to "give way to new leaders" amid shifting political dynamics.

"In the current political environment, we must make space for new leadership to guide Umno," he said in a statement yesterday.

Abdul Rahman added that he had discussed the decision with party colleagues beforehand and that they understood his move.

He noted that he had been involved with Umno for more than a decade, ...