Political parties in Nigeria have opposed calls for the suspension of campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections following the country’s reported case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease.
The parties argued that political campaigns should continue under appropriate public health and safety protocols, insisting that the outbreak should not prevent candidates from engaging voters and presenting their manifestos.
The development comes amid growing public concern over Nigeria’s first reported case of the Bundibugyo strain, with political parties expressing different views on how to balance public health protection with democratic participation.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, had said there was no immediate need to cancel political campaigns, conferences or other large public gatherings following the reported Ebola case.
Similarly, the National Director of Publicity of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bala Ibrahim, urged Nigerians to remain calm, noting that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health and other relevant agencies had issued advisories on the situation.
Ibrahim cautioned against politicising the health challenge, warning that turning the outbreak into a political debate could trigger unnecessary fear, confusion and panic.
He maintained that infectious diseases requiring quarantine and proper investigation should be handled through technical and professional public health processes.
“Contagious disease or infectious diseases that require quarantine and proper investigation is not something that you subject to political discussion. This is a very technical issue and a sensitive one for that matter,” he said.
He added that the issue should not be dragged into the political arena in a manner that could create panic among Nigerians.
However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) expressed concern that the Federal Government could use the Ebola outbreak as a justification to restrict opposition parties from campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said protecting public health should remain a priority but warned against possible political exploitation of the situation.
Abdullahi linked the concern to President Bola Tinubu’s reported declaration that he would not be able to campaign, expressing fears that other parties could also be prevented from reaching voters.
The health of Nigerians should be the priority for everyone, but we also have to be very careful that we don’t create a situation for political opportunism,” he said.
He added that any advice or decision to stop campaigns must be backed by clear and transparent public health reasons.
“If they want to advise us not to campaign, they have to tell us why and then we will also raise other questions at the appropriate time,” Abdullahi stated.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) also opposed an outright suspension of political campaigns, advocating stronger disease surveillance and preventive measures instead.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Araba, said the reported Ebola case did not justify a blanket suspension of campaign activities as political parties prepared for the elections.
He argued that candidates needed opportunities to communicate their programmes and engage voters, adding that political participation could continue with adequate precautions.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) similarly called on political parties to adopt safer campaign methods, including reducing physical contact during political gatherings.
The NDC’s Publicity Secretary in Lagos State, Olushile Akinyemi, warned that suspending political activities without transparent justification could deepen public suspicion, particularly amid existing concerns over the Independent National Electoral Commission and the electoral process.
“Campaigns should continue under strict safety protocols, and not be halted abruptly,” Akinyemi said.
The parties’ positions reflect a growing debate over how Nigeria can protect citizens from possible Ebola transmission without unnecessarily disrupting political engagement ahead of the 2027 polls.
The political disagreement follows the reported case of a Swiss woman who tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus disease after travelling to Nigeria from Uganda.
According to details contained in the report, the woman is the wife of a staff member of the Swiss Embassy in Abuja.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry disclosed on Friday, October 23, that the woman and her husband had travelled to Uganda approximately two weeks before the statement was issued.
Swiss authorities said she was believed to have contracted the virus during the trip, although the precise location of exposure remained under investigation.
The ministry also stated that neither the woman nor her husband had visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is at the centre of the ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain.
“The Swiss woman, who is symptomatic, has been hospitalised for about a week at a private clinic in Abuja,” the statement said.
Her husband was reportedly placed in isolation as a precaution but had not developed symptoms, while other embassy staff members were said to be in good health.
Nigerian health authorities had earlier confirmed that the woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain after arriving in Abuja from Uganda on October 3 aboard Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET333.
Olajumoke Babatunde, Director of Public Health Laboratory Services at the NCDC, disclosed during an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, October 21, that laboratory investigations had confirmed the strain.
“We did three levels of tests, but all molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Babatunde said.
The Nigerian government has intensified efforts to prevent further transmission, with health authorities identifying 44 contacts linked to the patient.
The contacts reportedly include healthcare workers, fellow patients, caregivers and individuals connected to her travel history.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the NCDC and the FCT Health Services Secretariat are coordinating the response.
Health facilities and port health surveillance units across the country have also been placed on high alert as authorities step up monitoring and preventive measures.
Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can cause severe illness and death. According to the report, the Bundibugyo strain was first identified during an outbreak in Uganda in 2007.
The virus is primarily transmitted through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person who has developed symptoms, as well as contaminated materials.
Symptoms may include fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain and sore throat. In some cases, patients may develop vomiting, diarrhoea and other serious complications.
The incubation period generally ranges from two to 21 days.
Nigeria previously experienced an Ebola outbreak in 2014 after an infected traveller arrived in Lagos from Liberia. Health authorities successfully contained that outbreak.
As political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections, the debate over Ebola prevention and campaign activities is likely to remain a sensitive issue.
While the APC has called for calm and warned against politicising the outbreak, the ADC, SDP and NDC have argued that political engagement should continue with appropriate safeguards.
The central issue remains how authorities can protect Nigerians, ensure transparent public health decisions and preserve the ability of political parties to reach voters during the election season.
