APC slams Atiku over Ebola comments, defends Tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly rebuked former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for politicising the Ebola health emergency and disrespecting President Bola Tinubu. In a press statement, the APC Presidential Campaign Council accused Atiku of turning a serious health concern into a vehicle for ridicule by linking President Tinubu's first name to Ebola. The statement emphasized that linking the President's name to Ebola risks trivializing a public health issue and disrespecting the President.

Atiku's comments on the government's handling of the Ebola situation were deemed inappropriate by the APC, as Nigerians needed to support health authorities during the crisis. The council criticized the headline attributed to Atiku, which linked President Tinubu's name to Ebola, as it risks turning the serious health concern into a tool for mockery.

The council also faulted Atiku's remarks on the detection of an infected Nigerian who had travelled from Uganda, arguing that an infected person cannot spread Ebola until they actively develop symptoms, typically appearing eight to 10 days after exposure.

The APC campaign council defended President Tinubu and expressed disappointment that the N10 billion emergency allocation approved for the Ebola emergency in June remained untouched. The council praised the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and other surveillance agencies for their efforts in detecting the infected individual and facilitating contact tracing. It emphasized that the response of health authorities deserved recognition rather than political criticism.

The council rejected allegations attributed to Atiku that a ministerial briefing aimed to discourage Nigerians from attending campaign rallies or voting. It described the allegation as speculative and urged Atiku to provide verifiable evidence to support such claims. The council emphasized that Vice President Atiku and other opposition figures should avoid politicising public health concerns and emphasized the need for cooperation among political leaders, health professionals, and the public to prevent a wider outbreak.