Nigeria's ruling party rules out automatic tickets for members for upcoming elections

Nigeria's People's Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday said there is not automatic tickets for any members to contest the 2015 general elections, including incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. National Chairman of the party Ahmad Muazu announced this in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with the PDP caucus of the House of Representatives. He said 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. Muazu said that he was not aware of any promise made by the immediate past national chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, of giving automatic ticket to any member. Earlier in an address of welcome, the Majority leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, had demanded that the party offer automatic tickets to the lawmakers to contest in early 2015. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is scheduled to hold presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14.