morgANABLE Politics/elections
The APC spokesman maintained that public health professionals should be allowed to determine appropriate preventive measures based on scientific evidence
KaNo—
Political parties have rejected calls for the suspension of campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections following a reported Ebola case in Nigeria, insisting that political engagements should continue under strict public health guidelines.
The parties urged the Federal Government to strengthen disease surveillance, intensify public awareness and introduce preventive measures to protect Nigerians attending political rallies and other large gatherings.
They maintained that suspending campaigns without sufficient medical justification could disrupt preparations for the forthcoming elections and raise concerns about possible political interference.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, had earlier stated that there was no immediate need to cancel political campaigns, conferences or other public gatherings following the reported infection.
Speaking with Punch Newspaper, the National Director of Publicity of the All Progressives Congress, Bala Ibrahim, urged Nigerians to remain calm and allow relevant health authorities to manage the situation.
Ibrahim said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Ministry of Health and other responsible agencies had already issued advisories aimed at preventing further transmission.
He warned political actors against exploiting the development for partisan purposes, stressing that infectious disease outbreaks required professional medical intervention rather than political arguments.
“Contagious disease or infectious diseases that require quarantine and proper investigation is not something that you subject to political discussion. This is a very technical issue and a sensitive one for that matter.
“Let us not take the matter to the political arena where there will be panic, and there will be fear and confusion in the country,” Ibrahim said.
The APC spokesman maintained that public health professionals should be allowed to determine appropriate preventive measures based on scientific evidence.
However, the African Democratic Congress expressed concern that the Federal Government could exploit the outbreak to restrict opposition political activities ahead of the elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said any decision to limit political gatherings must be supported by transparent medical assessments and applied fairly to all political parties.
Abdullahi emphasised that protecting Nigerians remained paramount but warned against using public health concerns to undermine democratic participation.
“The health of Nigerians should be the priority for everyone, but we also have to be very careful that we don’t create a situation for political opportunism. With President Bola Tinubu declaring that he will not be able to campaign, we are afraid that the federal government may now take advantage of this Ebola situation to shut down campaigns for other political parties as well.
“If they want to advise us not to campaign, they have to tell us why and then we will also raise other questions at the appropriate time,” he said.
Similarly, the Social Democratic Party rejected a blanket suspension of campaigns, calling instead for improved public health surveillance and preventive measures.
Its National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Araba, maintained that the reported infection did not automatically justify stopping political activities nationwide.
He explained that candidates needed opportunities to engage voters, explain their programmes and communicate their manifestos ahead of the 2027 elections.
Araba, however, acknowledged the importance of protecting public health, urging authorities and political organisations to prioritise safety during campaign activities.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Olushile Akinyemi, advocated safer campaign strategies rather than outright restrictions.
Akinyemi warned that suspending political engagements without transparent justification could deepen public suspicion, particularly amid concerns about the Independent National Electoral Commission and the electoral process.
He urged political parties to consider alternative campaign approaches that would minimise unnecessary physical contact while maintaining communication with voters.
“Campaigns should continue under strict safety protocols, and not be halted abruptly,” Akinyemi said.
Meanwhile, a consultant epidemiologist and public health physician at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna State, Professor Aisha Abubakar, has warned that routine temperature screening at airports may fail to identify travellers infected with Ebola.
Abubakar called for stronger disease surveillance, improved infection prevention and control measures in healthcare facilities, and increased public education.
According to her, the reported case should prompt authorities to reassess the country’s preparedness, particularly concerning early detection, contact tracing and outbreak containment.
She explained that Nigeria regularly receives international travellers, including returning citizens and foreign nationals, making effective surveillance at airports and other entry points essential.
The epidemiologist cautioned against immediately interpreting the reported infection as evidence of inadequate preparedness, noting that conventional temperature screening had significant limitations.
“One of the cardinal signs of Ebola virus disease is fever. If an individual arrives at the airport without a fever, it may be difficult to identify the infection through routine temperature screening alone.
“In this case, the individual was reportedly able to enter the country without being detected at the airport and subsequently visited a private hospital, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola. That is the situation we are dealing with now,” she explained.
Abubakar stressed that infected individuals might arrive without noticeable symptoms, making identification difficult through routine screening procedures.
“We must acknowledge that no screening system can detect every infected person, particularly when they are not yet symptomatic. Ebola symptoms can include fever, severe body aches, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, unexplained bleeding,” she added.
With approximately 44 contacts reportedly identified for monitoring, the epidemiologist emphasised the importance of prompt contact tracing to prevent further transmission.
She urged health authorities to ensure that healthcare workers were adequately trained and equipped to recognise suspected infections and implement appropriate protective measures.
Abubakar also recommended strengthening surveillance systems in hospitals and communities, particularly facilities likely to receive patients presenting with symptoms associated with infectious diseases.
She explained that effective outbreak management required identifying exposed individuals, monitoring their health and ensuring compliance with relevant public health instructions.
“One important strategy used in outbreak response is the ring approach, which involves identifying and monitoring the contacts of an infected individual, as well as the contacts of those individuals where necessary,” she said.
The epidemiologist explained that Ebola primarily spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids of symptomatic infected persons or contaminated materials.
She advised Nigerians to disclose relevant symptoms, travel histories and possible exposure to health professionals rather than conceal information that could assist disease surveillance.
Abubakar further recommended reviewing health declaration procedures at airports and other entry points, including adopting digital systems for collecting travellers’ health and movement information.
She maintained that effective surveillance, public cooperation and prompt medical intervention remained essential to preventing further infections while allowing necessary social and political activities to continue safely.
