Mahdi Shehu Slams ‘Automatic Tickets’, Says They Have No Place in Democracy

Mahdi Shehu has criticised the idea of granting automatic tickets in a democratic system, describing the practice as strange, alien and unacceptable.

Shehu’s comments follow reports surrounding the planned defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a post shared on X on Sunday, Shehu argued that democracy does not recognise automatic tickets, warning that such arrangements undermine the principles of fairness, competition and voter choice.

“Automatic tickets are alien, strange and unknown in a real democracy,” he stated.

He added that the only automatic ticket guaranteed to everyone is “the inevitable automatic ticket to the grave,” insisting that offering or demanding automatic tickets amounts to overstepping democratic boundaries.

According to him, automatic tickets in a democracy “lead only to one destination,” as both those offering and those demanding them are acting beyond accepted limits.

Shehu’s remarks come amid reports that Governor Yusuf’s planned defection to the APC has hit a setback, after the ruling party reportedly refused to agree to his alleged demand for an automatic ticket for the 2027 Kano State governorship election.