The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, has dismissed insinuations that the current Ebola Virus Disease scare could be exploited for political purposes, amid growing concerns about its possible impact on the 2027 general elections.
Dr. Idris made the clarification on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing journalists on the current public health situation and the preparedness of the agency to contain any potential outbreak of Ebola in the country.
The NCDC boss said his agency is aware of speculations in some quarters that government or political actors could use a public health emergency as a pretext to manipulate the electoral calendar, but stressed that such insinuations are unfounded and misleading.
According to him, the mandate of the NCDC is purely technical and professional, focused on disease surveillance, prevention, detection and response, and has nothing to do with politics or election management.
He explained that while public health emergencies can have implications for social and political activities, including elections, any decision regarding postponement of elections is not taken by the NCDC alone, but by relevant constitutional bodies after thorough assessment.
Dr. Idris noted that in a situation where there is a widespread and severe outbreak of a highly infectious disease like Ebola, it is standard public health practice globally to consider measures that limit large gatherings, including political rallies and voting exercises, to protect lives.
He said in such an extreme scenario, postponing an election could become a necessary option to prevent mass transmission and avoid endangering the lives of millions of Nigerians who would be involved in the electoral process.
The Director-General, however, expressed strong optimism that Nigeria will not get to that point, given the current level of preparedness, surveillance and response capacity that has been built over the years.
He pointed out that Nigeria currently has no confirmed case of Ebola, following the evacuation of the only suspected case to Switzerland, as confirmed by the World Health Organization, WHO, and that there is no evidence of community transmission.
Dr. Idris said the agency is working round the clock with the Federal Ministry of Health, State Ministries of Health, port health services, WHO and other partners to strengthen surveillance at all points of entry and in health facilities across the country.
He disclosed that all persons who had contact with the suspected case have been identified, traced and are being monitored, and none has so far developed symptoms suggestive of Ebola Virus Disease.
The NCDC chief also used the opportunity to reiterate that any decision to postpone the 2027 general election would depend entirely on how the public health situation evolves in the coming months and years, and not on political considerations.
He stressed that such a decision would involve extensive consultations among the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the National Assembly, health experts and other critical stakeholders, in line with constitutional provisions.
Dr. Idris said it would be premature and irresponsible for anyone to begin to speculate about election postponement now, when there is no outbreak in the country and all indicators show that the situation is under control.
He assured Nigerians that the NCDC will continue to provide transparent, timely and accurate information to the public on the Ebola situation, to prevent panic and misinformation.
The Director-General further called on politicians and political parties to refrain from dragging public health issues into partisan politics, as doing so could undermine public trust and hamper response efforts.
He noted that during previous outbreaks, including the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria demonstrated that it could manage public health emergencies without necessarily shutting down the entire democratic process, through adoption of safety protocols.
Dr. Idris said lessons learnt from those experiences have been used to strengthen the country’s health security architecture, including improved laboratory capacity, training of health workers and establishment of emergency operations centres in all states.
He also hinted that if at any point the risk assessment shows that holding elections would pose grave danger to public health, the NCDC would not hesitate to make appropriate recommendations to the relevant authorities, as saving lives remains the top priority.
The DG, however, maintained that the country is still far from such a scenario, and that Nigerians should focus more on preventive measures rather than speculations about election postponement.
He urged Nigerians to adopt simple but effective preventive measures, such as regular hand washing with soap and running water, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers, avoiding contact with persons showing symptoms of fever and bleeding, and prompt reporting of suspected cases.
Dr. Idris also advised citizens to avoid contact with wild animals, especially bats and primates, to avoid consumption of bush meat, and to ensure that all animal products are properly cooked before consumption.
He called on health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, to strictly adhere to infection prevention and control measures, and to immediately report any suspected case of viral haemorrhagic fever.
The NCDC boss assured that the agency will continue to work with international partners to monitor the global Ebola situation, particularly in countries currently experiencing outbreaks, to ensure that Nigeria remains protected.
He concluded by calling on all Nigerians to remain calm, vigilant and cooperative with health authorities, while assuring that the Federal Government is fully committed to protecting the health and well-being of all citizens, irrespective of political considerations.
