The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of politicising Nigeria’s response to the Ebola case reported in Abuja. The council, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, on Thursday, also said the N10 billion President Bola Tinubu approved in June for the Ebola emergency response remained untouched.
The statement followed Atiku’s criticism of the government’s handling of the Ebola case, including questions about how the N10 billion approved for the emergency was being spent. Atiku, the presidential candidate for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2027 election, had earlier demanded an account of the fund, questioning the government’s handling of the confirmed Ebola case and its preparedness, surveillance, and protection of healthcare workers.
The dispute comes amid a recent confirmed case on 20 October after a Nigerian woman who had travelled from Uganda tested positive for the virus at a private hospital in Abuja. Health authorities have identified 44 contacts of the patient and begun tracing people who may have been exposed to the virus.
The State House had announced on 9 June that Mr Tinubu approved the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding to strengthen the operational preparedness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support public health emergency response activities. Atiku, through his Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, later demanded details of how the money was disbursed, including the amounts released, payment dates, contracts awarded, beneficiaries, and items supplied.
“Where is the money? Publish the amount actually disbursed, the dates of payment, every contract awarded, every recipient and every item delivered. A press statement cannot replace an audit,” Atiku said.