By: Odeh Favour
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has opened up on the possibility of postponing the upcoming 2027 general election if the current Ebola outbreak escalates aggressively across the country.
The Director-General of the NCDC, Jide Idris, made this disclosure while featuring on Channels Television’s flagship programme, Politics Today, where he spoke extensively on how public health concerns might intersect with the nation’s political calendar.
Idris maintained that while the health sector has no intention of playing politics with disease outbreaks, any concrete decision regarding a shift in the election timetable would strictly depend on how severe the public health situation becomes.
Speaking further during the interview, the NCDC boss noted that the government is keeping a close eye on the virus, tracing its origin and monitoring potential entry points through international travel.
“This Ebola thing started in the DRC a couple of months ago, and we were tracking it. They said, for you to track again, there is a possibility that it may get here due to our population movement, flights into this country, and ports of entry. Yet it came. No government will use Ebola as a political weapon,” he stated.
He specifically pointed out that air travel and the continuous movement of people through the country’s borders and entry ports could heighten the risk of imported infections.
Despite the looming fears and public anxiety trailing his warning, Idris strongly rejected insinuations that the health crisis could be weaponized for political gains, insisting that the primary focus remains saving lives rather than pandering to political interests.
Reiterating the current stance of the agency, he emphasized that there is no immediate justification to tamper with the election timetable for now, though options remain open should things degenerate.
“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 submitted.
