Ebola: APC campaign council accuses Atiku of politicising disease outbreak, says N10bn fund intact

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of politicising Nigeria’s response to the Ebola case reported in Abuja.

The council, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, on Thursday, also said the N10 billion President Bola Tinubu approved in June for the Ebola emergency response remained untouched.

The statement followed Atiku’s criticism of the government’s handling of the Ebola case, including questions about how the N10 billion approved for the emergency was being spent.

Atiku, the presidential candidate for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election, had earlier demanded an account of the fund, questioning the government’s handling of the confirmed Ebola case and its preparedness, surveillance, and protection of healthcare workers.

The dispute comes amid a recent confirmed case on 20 October after a Nigerian woman who had travelled from Uganda tested positive for the virus at a private hospital in Abuja.

Health authorities have identified 44 contacts of the patient and begun tracing people who may have been exposed to the virus.

The State House had announced on 9 June that Mr Tinubu approved the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding to strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support public health emergency response activities.

Atiku, through his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, later demanded details of how the money was disbursed, including the amounts released, payment dates, contracts awarded, beneficiaries, and items supplied.

“Where is the money? Publish the amount actually disbursed, the dates of payment, every contract awarded, every recipient and every item delivered. A press statement cannot replace an audit,” Atiku said.

He also questioned Nigeria’s handling of the confirmed case, saying the patient arrived in Nigeria on 5 October, developed symptoms two days later and sought treatment at a private hospital on 11 October, before the government confirmed the Ebola case on 20 October.

Atiku warned against using the outbreak to restrict political campaigns or discourage voter participation ahead of the 2027 elections.

The former vice president’s statement was titled “Bola and Ebola: Where did the ₦10 billion go?”, a framing the APC campaign council described as disrespectful and an attempt to ridicule Mr Tinubu.

Mr Alake said linking the president’s first name to Ebola risked turning a serious public health emergency into a political weapon.

Mr Alake said the former vice president’s statement, which linked Mr Tinubu’s first name (Bola) with Ebola, was disrespectful to the office of the president and risked turning a serious public health concern into political ridicule.

He said Atiku’s comments also showed a misunderstanding of how Ebola is transmitted and why the infected traveller was not detected at the Abuja airport.

According to the APC campaign council spokesperson, the incubation period for Ebola ranges from two to 21 days, with symptoms typically appearing between eight and 10 days after exposure.

He said an infected person could not transmit the virus to others until symptoms developed.

“This is why it took the infected Nigerian some days before reporting to the hospital, where several tests showed that the person had Ebola,” Mr Alake said.

On the N10 billion emergency fund, Mr Alake explained that the money Mr Tinubu approved in June had not been spent because the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and other surveillance agencies used other available resources.

“The N10 billion the President approved for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched, as the NCDC, FAAN, and other agencies involved in surveillance have been spending other available resources,” he said.

Mr Alake praised the agencies for what he described as robust surveillance at Nigeria’s points of entry, saying the system helped detect the suspected case and triggered contact tracing.

He said officials had identified 44 contacts of the infected person and placed them under surveillance.

The Ebola virus disease is a severe illness and can spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person, particularly after symptoms begin. Early detection, isolation, contact tracing and infection prevention measures are central to containing outbreaks.

Mr Alake also rejected Atiku’s allegation that a ministerial briefing on the outbreak was intended to discourage Nigerians from attending campaign rallies or voting.

He described the allegation as speculative and challenged the former vice president to provide evidence.

“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 campaign council urged Atiku and other opposition figures to avoid politicising public health issues, saying the Ebola situation required cooperation with health authorities and compliance with public health protocols.

“Nigerians deserve, first of all, protection from the deadly disease,” Mr Alake said.