Sokoto Governor fires back at Tinubu, says he could have contested against Buhari with APC

Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has fired back at the allegations of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, that he dumped the party because he could not challenge President Muhammadu Buhari for the presidency.

In a statement signed by the APC's national leader on Sunday, August 19, 2018, he alleged that Tambuwal covets the presidency but could not challenge Buhari in a fair contest.

In response to Tinubu's allegations, Tambuwal has fired back that he could have challenged the president while with the APC if he wanted because only voters can decide his fate.

In quotes posted on the official Twitter account of the Sokoto State government early on Monday, August 20, Tambuwal said he has all it takes to take on the president.

He further accused Tinubu of exposing the APC's refusal to maintain a level-playing field for all its members with his statement.

He was quoted to have 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.

"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.

"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."

In his statement, Tinubu also alleged that Tambuwal's reason for leaving the APC was also due to the party's refusal to promise him an automatic ticket for re-election as Sokoto governor. However, the governor denied that automatic ticket had any impact on his decision.

"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," he said.

Tambuwal's defection

Tambuwal officially dumped the APC for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) on August 1, as he made an announcement of the defection to hundreds of supporters at the Sokoto Government House.

He said that the APC has reached historically unprecedented heights of impunity in all manner of vices and brazenly turned itself into a sanctuary for the corrupt and a machine for rigging and for the rape of democracy.

He further complained that Sokoto State was not being meaningfully carried along in political appointments and in other matters of national importance.

He said his decision was based on his refusal to be part of the "frightful conspiracy against the cohesion of the Nigerian State".

Tambuwal under pressure to run for president in 2019

Tambuwal recently disclosed that he's under pressure to run against President Buhari in the 2019 presidential election and promised to make his decision public soon.

He said, "I have been under intense pressure from various quarters in Nigeria including leaders of the country and friends of Nigeria outside the country to contest the presidency.

"But leadership is a collective decision and I have never asked to be made a leader at any time in my life. So, my aspiration will be determined by my people and after that, I will make my political decision known in a matter of days."

The governor also told the crowd that President Buhari is being held hostage by a cabal that's running his administration for him while he deals with health challenges.

"We supported Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 to become President unconditionally and we admit that Buhari has integrity but that's not the only requirement for leadership.

"We are aware that the President is affected by serious challenges of health and is being held captive by a cabal that runs Nigeria for their personal interests," he said.