The exodus of Sabah Umno lawmakers from the party is a "wake-up call" that shows motivation is thinning among party members, said Umno Wanita chief Noraini Ahmad.

In a statement today, the Parit Sulong MP said this shows that the time has come for the party to seriously consider reforming.

"If this is not addressed, party members will no longer appreciate the concept of life-long loyalty, from the cradle to the grave, with this party.

"Therefore, it is time for Umno grassroots, and its leadership, to self-reflect and then carry out holistic changes to strengthen the party," she said.

Noraini added that the mass resignation of the Sabah Umno lawmakers should also not be seen as an interpretation of the common decision of the grassroots members in the state.

"I hope the decision will not cripple Umno in Sabah. The Umno's top leadership will not keep mum, instead will take proactive steps to face this issue.

"At the same time, the close relationships between Sabah Umno leaders and their counterparts in the peninsula, should not be affected from what happened today.

"The Sabah Umno leaders who quit today, have contributed, and sacrificed a lot for the party, and history will not forget their contributions," she said.

Earlier today, more than a dozen Sabah Umno MPs and state assemblypersons quit and pledged their support for Pakatan Harapan and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

This includes four MPs and nine assemblypersons, reducing the number of Umno parliament seats to 44, and state seats to just one, from the 17 it had won in the May 9 polls.