At Friday's party supreme council meeting, the outgoing Umno president fought off attempts to bring his reign as Umno president to an end in December instead of next March by going on an uncharacteristic offence against his critics.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the party president ticked off leaders whom he heard were threatening to destroy his friends and those associated with him.
Abdullah started Friday's meeting by telling party leaders that in the time he has been Prime Minister he never once made a decision based on a desire to victimize or destroy anyone.He also pointed out that he had always tried to be fair to everyone.
During Cabinet, Barisan Nasional (BN) or Umno supreme council meetings, Abdullah said he always allowed everyone a chance to speak.
"But now he has been hearing more and more reports of threats being made that when certain power come to power they wanted to destroy his friends and those associated with him.
"He did not name those who are allegedly making such threats but it is clear he was not referring to Najib," a source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is set to take over as Umno president and Prime Minister next March.
A host of leaders , with leading deputy presidential candidate Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim chief among them, have grown increasingly critical of Abdullah.
Some of these leaders have been openly defying the party president and have been pushing for the Umno elections to be held in December as planned, therefore bringing Abdullah's tenure as PM to an earlier end.
But during Friday's meeting the Prime Minister did not name the leaders he was accusing of planning to destroy his friends and associates.
However he pointed out that he did not consider himself a weakling for not using his power to destroy those who opposed him.
Instead he said those who wanted power to destroy others were "cowards and contemptible."
He told those at the meeting that he wanted to know "what kind of Islamic thinking prevailed among those who sought revenge and who wanted to destroy people for being loyal to him."
Abdullah also wondered aloud "how they can reconcile being Muslims and being so vindictive.
Islam requires a leader to be fair to everyone - whether they share his views or not."
Singling out Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is seen as a strong backer of Muhyidiin and whose son Mukhriz is taking on Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin for the Umno Youth Chief's position, he said the former premier had been running him down from the first day he took office.
"Yet Mahathir goes around saying he is not given a chance to speak and there are those among you here who support Mahathir's views publicly. Did I sack you for opposing me and supporting someone who is not even in Umno?" he asked the party leaders.
Party leaders who attended the meeting kept quiet during Abdullah's tirade.
But some of Abdullah's supporters later criticized the PM's critics in the supreme council.
In the end the critics kept quiet, and the plan to pressure Abdullah during the meeting to bring forward party polls to December fizzled out.
All those present agreed to the March 24 date without any debate.
While many of Abdullah's supporters were happy that he showed his strength during the meeting, they felt that if he had been more aggressive and decisive previously, he would not be counting down the days today to his exit from power.
All same onelah.