Daud Olatunji
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said the 2027 general elections could be postponed if the Ebola outbreak in the country spreads to a level that threatens public health and safety.
The Director-General of the agency, Jide Idris, disclosed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, while addressing concerns about the possible implications of the outbreak for the forthcoming elections.
Idris, however, stressed that there was no immediate need to postpone the polls, expressing hope that the public health situation would improve sufficiently to allow the elections to proceed as scheduled.
He said the possibility of postponement would only need to be considered if the outbreak became widespread enough to make the conduct of the elections unsafe.
“We hope the election will not be postponed, but if the thing gets wide enough, that might be considered. As of now, there is no need for that,” Idris said.
The NCDC chief also dismissed suggestions that the disease could be deployed as a political instrument, insisting that public health concerns should not be exploited for political purposes.
“We in the health sector did not use disease issues as a political weapon,” he said.
Idris explained that Nigeria had been monitoring developments concerning Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before the disease reportedly reached the country.
According to him, the possibility of the virus spreading to Nigeria had been anticipated because of population movement, international air travel and activities at the country’s entry points.
He said the outbreak underscored the challenges of preventing infectious diseases from crossing national borders, particularly in countries with substantial human movement and international connections.
The remarks come as political parties and prospective candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections, with political activities already gathering momentum ahead of the polls.
Any decision to postpone the elections would have significant implications for the electoral timetable, political campaigns and preparations by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, Idris’s comments do not amount to an announcement of an election postponement, as he maintained that such a measure was not currently necessary.
The NCDC’s position suggests that the public health situation would be a key consideration if the outbreak worsened, although any eventual decision concerning the election timetable would require action by the relevant authorities in accordance with the law.
As of the time of the interview, the agency chief did not indicate that the government had taken a decision to delay the 2027 elections.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that developments surrounding the outbreak and the government’s response will remain important as Nigeria approaches the 2027 electoral season.
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