Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State says he has what it takes to contest against President Muhammadu Buhari for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s presidential election.

The governor said this in a series of tweets on Monday, one day after the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu, accused him of defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because he wanted the Presidency.

He said, “If I wanted to and if the Presidency is what Ahmed Tinubu thinks I defected, I could contest with President Buhari under the APC. I have what it takes to have contested with Mr President.

“I adduced reasons of my defection to the PDP. The reasons are still on record. Automatic ticket by the APC is certainly not part of that.”

Governor Tambuwal also faulted the claim by the APC chieftain that he left the ruling party because it could not give him the automatic ticket he demanded.

On the contrary, he alleged that Tinubu has shown by making such accusations that the APC lacked a level-playing ground for its members.

Tambuwal said, “In any case, Tinubu is confessing that there is no level-playing ground for all members of the APC; that there is no internal democracy in it, and that some people were denied their right to internal democracy”.

“Tinubu tried to rock the boat when he was denied Buhari’s Vice Presidency. He thinks every other person could behave his way. If I wanted to contest under the APC as president, I could have done so and only the votes could have produced a winner,” he insisted.

In a statement on Sunday entitled “They Go Away Because We Go the Right Way”, Mr Tinubu alleged that Governor Tambuwal and Senate President Bukola Saraki left the ruling party because the APC refused to give them automatic tickets for the 2019 elections.

The governor defected from the APC on August 1, the following day the Senate President announced his defection from the ruling party.

See the tweets below:

@GovSokoto @AWTambuwal reacts to Bola Tinubu statement over his exit from the APC

“If I wanted to and if the Presidency is what Ahmed Tinubu thinks I defected, I could contest with President Buhari under the APC. I have what it takes to have contested with Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/x5shnwLFqq

— Sokoto Government House (@SokotoGovtHouse) August 20, 2018

“I adduced reasons of my defection to the PDP. The reasons are still on record. Automatic ticket by the APC is certainly not part of that. ”

— Sokoto Government House (@SokotoGovtHouse) August 20, 2018

@AWTambuwal stressed that while addressing the people of Sokoto State and by implication, Nigerians, he stated his reasons for leaving the party none of which was “automatic ticket.”

— Sokoto Government House (@SokotoGovtHouse) August 20, 2018

“In any case, Tinubu is confessing that there is no level-playing ground for all members of the APC; that there is no internal democracy in it and that some people were denied their right to internal democracy".

— Sokoto Government House (@SokotoGovtHouse) August 20, 2018

“Tinubu tried to rock the boat when he was denied Buhari’s vice Presidency. He thinks every other person could behave his way. If I wanted to contest under the APC as president, I could have done so and only the votes could have produced a winner".

— Sokoto Government House (@SokotoGovtHouse) August 20, 2018