The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Adamu Muazu, has said that the party will not give automatic tickets to its members to contest the 2015 general elections.
Muazu made the declaration while answering questions from journalists after a closed-door meeting with the PDP caucus of the House of Representatives on Wednesday in Abuja.
There had been speculations that an offer of automatic tickets was suggested as a trump card to woo members back into the party and to stem the tide of cross-carpeting from PDP to opposition All Progressive Congress APC.
But Muazu said that automatic tickets were only given by parties that were undemocratic. “We have a democratic process and we will go through that, those that deserve it will surely get it,” he said.
He said that he was not aware of any promise made by the immediate past national chairman of the party, Mr. Bamanga Tukur, of giving automatic ticket to any member.
The chairman said there was nothing unusual about his meeting with parliamentarians, adding that it was normal for the party leadership to consult with the lawmakers.
Muazu added that the party would not disclose the strategy it would use to woo back members that defected to the APC.
The meeting was attended by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers, Gov. Ibrahim Shema of Katsina, Gov. Ramalan Yero of Kaduna and Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger. Others are Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia states and the Deputy Governors of Kogi and Jigawa states.
The Governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi and his Ondo state counterpart, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko came in briefly in company of Gov. Godswill Akpabio but left before the meeting began.
Earlier in an address of welcome, the Majority leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola (PDP-Oyo), had requested that the party offer automatic tickets as incentive to the lawmakers to contest in 2015.
