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APC accuses former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of politicising Nigeria’s Ebola outbreak and disrespecting President Bola Tinubu.
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Party says the ₦10 billion approved by Tinubu for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched.
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APC says surveillance agencies detected the imported case and traced 44 contacts linked to the patient.
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Campaign council dismisses Atiku’s claim that Ebola protocols could discourage campaign attendance or voting.
October 23, (THEWILL) – The Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of “dangerous politicisation” of Nigeria’s Ebola outbreak, saying the public health emergency should not be used for political attacks against President Bola Tinubu.
The APC PCC, in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, also said the ₦10 billion approved by President Tinubu for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched.
The statement followed comments by Atiku on the government’s handling of the confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria, including questions over the ₦10 billion emergency allocation and the country’s surveillance system.
Alake said Atiku had continued to make statements “dripping with insult and disrespect” to the office of the President.
He also criticised an aspect of Atiku’s statement which linked Tinubu’s first name with Ebola.
“We believe linking and rhyming President Bola Tinubu’s name to Ebola only risks turning a serious health concern into a vehicle to ridicule the President of the Federal Republic”, Alake said.
The APC spokesperson also faulted Atiku’s criticism of the failure to detect the infected traveller immediately upon arrival in Abuja. He said the criticism showed a lack of understanding of Ebola transmission and its incubation period.
“For anyone infected with the virus, the incubation period ranges from 2 to 21 days, with symptoms typically appearing 8 to 10 days after exposure. An infected person cannot spread or transmit Ebola to others until they actively develop symptoms”, he said.
According to Alake, the infected person subsequently developed symptoms and reported to a hospital, where several tests confirmed the Ebola infection.
“This is why it took the infected Nigerian some days before reporting to the hospital, where several tests showed that the person had Ebola”, he stated.
₦10bn Remains Untouched — APC
On the emergency allocation, the APC PCC said the ₦10 billion approved by Tinubu in June had not been spent.
“On accountability, the Atiku camp should note that the ₦10 billion the President approved for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched, while the NCDC, FAAN, and other surveillance agencies have spent other available resources”, Alake said.
He commended the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other surveillance agencies for their response to the outbreak.
“The agencies deserve applause for mounting a robust surveillance at entry points to avert Ebola spread whenever it lands on our shores”, he said.
According to him, the surveillance system alerted the government to the index case and resulted in the identification of people who had contact with the patient.
“This surveillance network tipped off the government about the index case and led to contact tracing of the patient’s 44 contacts”, he said.
Alake said the response by the health authorities should be supported rather than politicised.
“A responsible opposition will applaud the Task Force for being responsive. But the Atiku camp always goes for cheap shots at the government”, he added.
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APC Rejects Claim On Campaigns, Voting
The campaign council also rejected Atiku’s allegation that a ministerial briefing on the Ebola outbreak was intended to discourage Nigerians from attending campaign rallies or voting.
Alake described the allegation as speculative and demanded verifiable evidence.
“In this vein, we consider his allegation that a ministerial briefing is intended to discourage attendance at campaign rallies or voting speculative. Vice President Atiku cannot make such a serious allegation without verifiable evidence, especially in the thick of electioneering,” he said., adding that the press conference did not announce any restriction on campaigns or voting, but only appealed to Nigerians to comply with the protocols announced by the Presidential Task Force.
“In any way, the press conference did not raise this issue, except to appeal to the public to comply with the Task Force’s announced protocol,” he said.
The APC PCC urged Atiku and other opposition figures to refrain from politicising the outbreak and support efforts by health authorities to contain the disease.
“We advise Atiku Abubakar and his hirelings to avoid politicising public health issues,” Alake said.
He called on Nigerians, including opposition politicians, to support health authorities and medical professionals, communicate responsibly and avoid spreading rumours.
“A time like this demands that all Nigerians, including the opposition, rally around the health authorities and professionals, communicate responsibly, avoid rumour-mongering, and follow the protocols advised by the Task Force to ensure Ebola does not become a national epidemic,” he said.
The APC PCC said the priority should be preventing further transmission of the virus.
“Nigerians deserve, first of all, protection from the deadly disease,” Alake said.
Background
Nigeria confirmed an imported Ebola case in the Federal Capital Territory after laboratory tests established that the affected traveller had the virus.
The development prompted health authorities to activate public health response measures, including contact tracing and enhanced surveillance at points of entry.
The Federal Government had earlier approved N10 billion for Ebola emergency preparedness and established a Presidential Task Force to strengthen the country’s response to the disease and other emerging public health threats.
Nigeria had previously recorded an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after the disease was imported into Lagos by Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer.
The outbreak was contained through rapid case identification, isolation, contact tracing and enhanced surveillance.
The latest case has again prompted health authorities to intensify surveillance and contact tracing as efforts continue to prevent further transmission of the virus.:
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
