Governor Bala Mohammed says the Peoples Democratic Party would have handed APC national leader Bola Tinubu its presidential ticket if he was in PDP.

Mr Bala, in an interview with Arise News, said that the PDP recognized Mr Tinubu’s contribution to national development and support for President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I met Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. We discussed. He was talking about consensus, and I told him, if ‘you were in PDP, we would have just given you the ticket because we know that without you, Buhari wouldn’t have been a president, and in PDP, we recognise contribution’,” he explained.

The Bauchi governor’s comment came amidst several speculations that Mr Tinubu’s influence may not be enough to earn him APC’s presidential ticket. 

Last week, Governor Nyesom Wike, a PDP presidential hopeful, said all APC presidential aspirants, including Mr Tinubu, are worse than Mr Buhari. 

“They continue to herald that Buhari has done well despite the insecurity, economic hardship and downward spiral of the naira. I don’t see any of them that will do better than Buhari,” the Rivers governor stressed. “What will an APC candidate say that will be different? They worked with the present government that has destabilised Nigeria.” 

Mr Wike stated this while responding to questions in an exclusive interview with the BBC regarding his chances of winning against Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and Mr Tinubu.