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

Tambuwal’s statement was in response to claims made by APC national leader Bola Tinubu, who said the governor left the party due to the unavailability of an automatic presidential ticket for him and Nigerian Senate president Bukola Saraki.

The Sokoto state governor defected from the APC to join the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on August 1.

Tambuwal in a series of tweets countered claims made by Tinubu in a statement on Sunday entitled “They Go Away Because We Go the Right Way”.

“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,” Tambuwal said.

“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 that the APC lacked a level-playing ground for its members.

“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,” Tambuwal insisted.

“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.”

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