The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his comments on Nigeria’s Ebola response, accusing him of using a public health concern to attack President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, 2026, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said political leaders should avoid turning health emergencies into subjects of partisan attacks and urged Nigerians to support efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.
The council took issue with a statement attributed to Atiku concerning the Ebola situation, particularly its headline linking Tinubu’s name to the disease and its questions about the management of the N10 billion reportedly approved for the emergency response.
According to Alake, associating the President’s name with Ebola risks turning a serious public health issue into an opportunity for political ridicule.
He also challenged Atiku’s camp over its comments on the circumstances surrounding the identification of the reported case, arguing that the incubation period of the virus meant an infected person might not show symptoms immediately after exposure.
Alake said Ebola’s incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, with symptoms commonly appearing between eight and 10 days after exposure. He added that infected people generally cannot transmit the virus before developing symptoms.
The spokesperson said the infected Nigerian reported to a hospital days after the initial exposure and was subsequently diagnosed following several tests.
On the N10 billion approved for the emergency response, Alake maintained that the money remained untouched as of the time of the statement. He said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and other surveillance agencies had used other available resources to support their operations.
The council praised the agencies for their surveillance activities at points of entry and said the system had helped alert the government to the reported case and initiate contact tracing for 44 people who had contact with the patient.
Alake argued that the response by the health authorities deserved recognition rather than political criticism. He accused Atiku’s camp of seeking political advantage from the situation instead of supporting the public health response.
The APC campaign council also rejected an allegation it attributed to Atiku’s camp that a ministerial briefing was intended to discourage Nigerians from attending campaign rallies or voting. Alake described the allegation as speculative and said it should not be made without verifiable evidence.
He maintained that the briefing did not raise such an objective but instead appealed to the public to comply with the protocols announced by the relevant authorities.
The council called on Atiku and his supporters to refrain from politicising public health concerns, urging political leaders, health professionals and members of the public to communicate responsibly, avoid spreading unverified information and follow official health guidance.
“Nigerians deserve, first of all, protection from the deadly disease,” Alake said.
The statement reflects the APC campaign council’s position in the political disagreement over the government’s handling of the reported Ebola case. The council’s claims about the emergency funds and its characterisation of Atiku’s remarks were not independently established in the statement.
