African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has alleged a plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the January 16, 2027 presidential election over the Ebola outbreak.
Gatekeepers News reports that tue council raised the allegation in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, claiming that INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and instructed to change the election timetable.
However, the council did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation or establish that such a meeting had been scheduled. <Cite refs={[“turn391328search0”,“turn391328search1”]}/>
Shaibu urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon any alleged attempt to alter the election date, insisting that the administration should seek another term through the ballot box.
“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the statement read.
The council argued that Nigerians should be allowed to assess the administration’s performance at the polls, citing rising prices, declining purchasing power and economic hardship.
It warned against using the Ebola outbreak as a justification for postponing the election, while acknowledging the need for appropriate public health measures to protect voters and election officials.
The ADC campaign council also cited comments attributed to the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, who said there was currently no reason to postpone the election because of the outbreak.
“As of now, there is no need for that. We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” Idris was quoted as saying on Monday.
The council called on Amupitan to reject any alleged pressure to change the timetable and publicly disclose any attempt to influence the commission’s decision.
It also urged INEC, domestic election observers and international monitoring organisations to scrutinise any proposal to alter the election date, insisting that such a move must be made openly and supported by published health evidence.
The council further maintained that health authorities should focus on containing Ebola, while INEC should put measures in place to safeguard voters and election workers without unnecessarily disrupting the electoral timetable.
As of Wednesday, the allegation had not been independently established, and neither the Presidency nor INEC had publicly confirmed that any attempt had been made to postpone the election.
