I woke up this morning to a discussion on Channels Television's " Sunrise Daily" about the position and opinion of the Senate President, Senator David Mark, that the current crop of PDP senators should be given automatic tickets on the party's platform, come 2011. He was reported to have argued that the current PDP senators are more experienced and that a whole lot of investment has gone into training them both locally and internationally.
Now, for a government that cites the rule of law at the drop of a hat, does automatic ticket count for a genuine democratic process and application?

Personally, i think there should NOT be any automatic ticket. There should be a level playing field for every aspirant. If the incumbent senators are "super" sure of their performances and contributions not only in the hallowed chambers, but also at their various senatorial district, then they should be confident enough to subject themselves to the party's primary. Somehow, i think the PDP senators, knowing themselves that their party's internal democratic process is suspect do not want to go through the rigours of another primary. Calling for automatic ticket is simply an indictment on the party's leadership!

The question is, in a genuine and sincere democratic setting, is there a place for Automatic Ticket for any politician? PDP or AC, ANPP or APGA?

A dunce is a dunce no matter how internationally or locally educated!
So with all the local and international training what have they achieved? Common electoral reform has taken years to start even the whole big noise about the ''power probe"- what has become of that? Who has been indicted? With the poor state of the power sector SOMEONE MUST BE RESPONSIBLE, with all the international and local training they couldn't indicte ONE PERSON! An average illiterate market woman in nigeria would indicte 50 people if asked to.
Infact thunder fire all them senators!

e-Shegz:

does automatic ticket count for a genuine democratic process and application?

Using the dictionary made by PDP and for PDP, the answer to your question is YES


There they go again, people who have nothing to offer. They collect the kind of money they never dreamt of, #114,000.00 for lunch daily and many, many other allowances. And even many more to embezzle. The Senate President who proposed this has never achieved anything for this nation but has spent all of his life feeding fat on this country and yet he doesn't want to let go. Was he not the man who as a minister under IBB who said "telephone is not for the poor"? I remember very well how Young Alhaji challenged his election victory and it was very clear that he didn't win that election.

People should not be surprised that this kind of thing is coming from the man afterall he is an OBJ boy!

2011: PDP senators insist on automatic ticket

COSMAS EKPUNOBI, Assist.Pol. Editor

Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have formally made a joint demand from the leadership of the party for automatic return tickets to the National Assembly in 2011, for themselves.

The demand may have confirmed renewed speculations that the PDP senators may have sealed such deal with the national leadership of the party.

National Chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, had at a recent meeting with the party caucus in the House of Representatives said that the high turn over of lawmakers at the National Assembly was no longer acceptable to the party.

In fact, Ogbulafor was reported to have promised the lawmakers that the party would change the trend in the 2011 election.

But hardly had the dust raised by the promise settled than the PDP senators formally made the demand for automatic return ticket for themselves in the 2011 election.

At an interactive session with Ogbulafor, they said experiences and huge resources already invested on them in the art of legislative assignment would be wasted if not given opportunity to return.

Senate President, David Mark, on behalf of his colleagues at the meeting told the party leadership to consider the demand in the interest of the party in 2011 election.

He told Prince Ogbulafor that the continued high turnover of lawmakers to the legislative house at every election, does not give room for the growth of the legislature.

Mark explained that unlike the executive and the judiciary, the legislature which is the hallmark of democracy needed to be sustained with growing experiences of the legislators.

The President of the Senate believes that the present crop of Senators have proven to be reliable, competent and knowledgeable, besides the harmony between them and the executive arm of government.

His said: Harmony, peace and cordiality, are needed ingredients for development. We must sustain an experienced and stable legislature which is the needed antidote for the sustenance and growth of democracy."

Mark however clarified that in as much as the Senate would cooperate with the executive in the discharge of its service delivery to the people, "the Senate is mindful of its independence and legislative duties, we shall not compromise on this".

Ogbulafor in a response however promised that the party would consider the request even as he praised the cordial relationship between the Senate and the executive arm of government and urged for its sustenance.

Ogbulafor said the PDP government has lived up to its billings and promised that the issue of automatic ticket would be considered in due course.

http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/article_1.htm

Wen U hear comments like dis, One starts 2wonder whr is Nigeria actually heading to.

Chai nigerians .Happiest people and also the most stupid

I am tired of this Mark o. Same man who said that mobile phones are not for poor people before he was shamed.
Why do we keep having idiots at the helm of affairs in Nigeria. Our PDP senators have gone MAD. Yes MAD!
For me, I care less about how they distribute their tickets in PDP. They are all a sorry bunch. What I care about is how they will be defeated and disgraced in the next elections.

please can someone tell the senators that there is actually a word called "Shame", haba!

[/b]DEMOCRACY AINT WORKING FOR NIGERIA[b]

has it come to this? automatic ticket and automatic election, it seems they are politely admiting they cant rule the nation. PDP is failing , politicians are failing. GOD DEY

I think the current legislators of which pdp candidates are majority have performed very poorly and deserved no re-election. And it is upon realisation of this fact they want to re-elect themselves automatically.

These bas tards ar at it again. The problem with naija is no one wants to come forward to fight this criminals. We all sit down in our bedroom to type. I wish this was an arab nation this fools wont make such statement with effrontery

Automatic ticket to rule Nija cos he has been a senator.
this is the most dumbest thing i ever heard in my life and i am glad it is coming from the senate president, cos a fool is always a fool, this tells you the kinda of people that makes law for our country, the kinda people that wanna rule, for someone to be so daft to make such comment, it means his brain is just as nice as that of a chicken.

Na there way, do or die affair (Apology to OBJ)

I must commend evrybody in the house for their various contribution on the subject matter, AUTOMATIC TICKET FOR PDP SENETORS. I think I dont have much to say on the issue other than to call Mark and his PDP senate members  who rigged their way into the hollow chamber an 'AUTOMATIC FOOLS
Anyway, I dont blame them. It's cos we makes things confortable for them. Pls let's rise up against this evil plan of PDP in Nigeria.

dem don come again o!!!

may d devices of the enemies be pulled down IJN!!! they will fail in their quest to impoverish & stangulate Nigeria!!!!

The call for automatic ticket for PDP senators come 2011 by senate president is callous and irresponsible.

Yes, legislative experience is laudable as has been seen in the case of U.S.A and some advance countries. In the US for instance some law makers have stayed in the house for up to 40 years uninterrupted and the experiences gathered in the course of time are veritable tools for quality legislative duties.

The above must have informed senator Mark's comment, but what he failed to understand is that even in Americal their is nothing like automatic ticket. You have to fight for your seat by delivery good governance.

Democracy is all about competitiveness, and election period is an opportunity for electorates to evaluate the performance of their elected officials and vote to retain or remove them depending on performance. Removing this power will reduce a state into dictatorship. This is what PDP has being itching to do.

What quality of legislation have they come up with? what experience have they brought to bear in discharging their core and oversight functions that have benefited Nigerians? that would warrant automatic ticket (whatever that is).

Nigeria is being tagged a failed state going by the series of problems facing her. Have they come out with solution to the problems in Niger Delta, NEPA wahala, roads are bad, education has gounded, electoral reform issues etc. All these problems lingers because of legislative ineptitudes.

Obama refused to visit Nigeria because of our democratic problems, yet we want to compound it.

In fact what gives Mark the assurance that PDP will still be relevant as a party come 2011 going by the quality of performance by this present administration of PDP.

some people are scared of their parties' primaries. such people will even push for primaries to be scrapped.

Thats Good atleast we are "ONE NIGERIA".

These people sef. How many bills have they passed sinced Mark became Senate president. What happened to the Foi bill? How about the constitutional amendment? David Mark + Baba go slow= Failure

the emphasy here is not just about automatic tickets at party levels rather it is about automatic ticket to the house.
indirectly we are been told here that having pdp ticket is having access to the house especially with the most qualified professor in nigeria(iwu) at the helm of affairs at inec.
pdp, obj, iwu, always remember, GOD IS WATCHING U ALL.

If they're allowed, at the end of the automatic ticket/transition come 2011. PDP
They'll also start and plead for third term.    Greedy and selfish men.  The Lord is our helper.

Did anyone say shame? This people have no shame.What have they done to qualify to get automatic tickets?

Feelitx:

Did anyone say shame? This people have no shame.What have they done to qualify to get automatic tickets?

they'll buy there way back to the seat and there's nothing u and i can do abt it,

PurestBoy:

they'll buy there way back to the seat and there's nothing u and i can do abt it,

word. they have the money and millions of hungry people waiting for a payoff.

GOD WILL PUNISH ALL OF THEM! BASTARDS!

I'm not suprised! Just a bunch of shady characters plying their trade. . . hisses and walks away.

If Yar A dull can get automatic ticket for doing nothing then please these distinguished gentlemen and ladies deserve better. Infact all the senators, house of reps, governors, state house of assembly members of the PDP should get automatic ticket.

They must have done so well for him to make such demand.
I hate The Nigerian Senate.

knowing his antecedents, i never really expected anything different from david mark.
that man is a snake and he has finally shown his true color.

automatic tickets! now that's a big laugh. why wouldn't mark ask for automatic tickets
when he collects close to 10million a month for sitting down and doing nothing?

why is everybody suprised
is it because they've been talking 'rule of law'

ha ha ha thieving law makers (abi law breakers)