The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has demanded explanations from President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the status of the ₦10 billion announced for Ebola emergency preparedness following a confirmed case in Abuja.
The demand was contained in a statement signed on Friday, October 23, 2026, by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication, ADC Presidential Campaign Council.
Shaibu faulted the All Progressives Congress (APC) for responding to questions about the emergency fund with attacks on Atiku and references to the similarity between the names “Bola” and “Ebola”, rather than providing details of the government’s preparedness and spending.
He recalled that the Presidency announced on June 9 that Tinubu had ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion for Ebola emergency preparedness.
According to the statement, the APC subsequently described the money as “untouched”, prompting questions about whether the funds had been released and why they had allegedly not been used.
“Was the money released or was it not?” Shaibu asked, demanding the publication of release documents, account records, and expenditure reports from the relevant task force.
He stated that the administration should clarify where the money was held, who controlled it, and why it had not been deployed for the preparedness measures announced in June.
The statement also questioned the timeline of the response to the confirmed Ebola case, citing the World Health Organisation’s account that the patient developed symptoms on October 7, sought care at a private facility on October 11 and received laboratory confirmation on October 20.
Shaibu asked when Ebola was first suspected, when public health authorities were alerted, when testing was ordered, and when contact tracing began.
He further challenged the APC to provide details of its claim that surveillance had alerted the government, including the agency responsible, the date the alert was raised, and the action taken.
Describing the 44 identified contacts as people whose health required protection, he called for adequate resources and protection for health workers involved in treating the patient and tracing contacts.
The ADC Presidential Campaign Council director also urged the government to clarify any proposed restrictions that could affect campaigning or voting during the health emergency, insisting that any such measures should be supported by medical justification and advice from health authorities.
Shaibu maintained that questions about the government’s preparedness should not be treated as an attack on health workers, adding that Nigerians deserved transparency over the emergency fund and the response to the outbreak.
He urged the Presidency and the APC to resolve what he described as the contradiction over the ₦10 billion through official records and provide clear explanations of the response timeline.
