Adebayo rejects Ebola excuse for shifting 2027 elections

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has said the current Ebola outbreak should not be used as a reason to stop campaigns or move the 2027 general election.

He spoke on Sunday at a dinner held by the leadership of his Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja.

Adebayo argued that one confirmed Ebola case does not amount to an epidemic, and that Nigeria can guard public health while still holding its elections on schedule.

His position comes days after the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said at a press briefing in Abuja last Thursday that there was no immediate need to cancel political campaigns, conferences or other large gatherings. Pate said any restrictions would be based on scientific evidence and advice from public health experts, and would only be considered if the situation worsened.

What Adebayo said

Adebayo compared the current outbreak with Nigeria's handling of Ebola in 2014 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, when Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu was health minister. He said that response was open and well understood by the public, naming Patrick Sawyer, who brought the virus into the country from Liberia, and Dr Stella Adadevoh, the physician who treated him.

He said the present situation is "shrouded in mystery" and accused the APC-led government of not being as transparent. He also said Ebola is not Nigeria's biggest public health problem.

"One single incident of Ebola is not enough to talk about an epidemic," he said.

The SDP candidate said his campaign will keep moving across the country while following health guidelines, and urged Nigerians to take precautions and report suspected symptoms to health authorities.

He also told voters that voting is "the greatest gift anyone can give to support the health of Nigerians," saying the 2027 poll should go ahead.

Manifesto in local languages

At the same event, Adebayo said his manifesto has been translated beyond English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba into other Nigerian languages, and that copies are already in circulation. He said the document focuses on security and welfare, which he called the core duties of any government.

He asked Nigerians to read the manifesto, question the party on it and judge its plans before voting.

The SDP National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, said Adebayo was the first presidential candidate to release a policy document well before the campaign season and to publish it in many Nigerian languages, including Kanuri and Fulfulde. He presented Adebayo and his running mate, Dr Usman Bugaje, as the party's choice for 2027.

What happens next: Pate has said the government would consider restrictions if the Ebola situation worsened, with any decision guided by scientific evidence and consultations with public health experts.