ADC logo and President Bola Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to provide a full account of the ₦10 billion reportedly approved for Ebola emergency preparedness, insisting that Nigerians deserve transparency over the fund.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, the opposition accused the APC of avoiding key questions about the fund by focusing on political exchanges instead of addressing public concerns.
Shaibu said the Presidency had announced on June 9 that President Tinubu ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion for Ebola preparedness, but noted that the APC recently claimed the money remained untouched despite the confirmation of an Ebola case in Abuja.
He said, “Was the money released or was it not? If it was released, where is it held, who controls it, and why has it not been used for the preparedness President Tinubu announced? If it was never released, why was an order for its immediate release announced in June? Publish the release documents, the account records and the Task Force’s expenditure reports. Insulting Atiku Abubakar will not account for one naira.”
The ADC spokesman also questioned the government’s response timeline, asking when Ebola was first suspected, when health authorities were informed, when laboratory testing was ordered and when contact tracing began after the patient reportedly developed symptoms.
He further urged the government to publish the surveillance timeline, identify the agency that first raised the alert and explain the actions taken, stressing that the 44 identified contacts should be protected rather than used for political arguments.
Shaibu called for adequate protection and support for health workers involved in treating the patient and tracing contacts, insisting that asking questions about government preparedness should not be seen as an attack on frontline medical personnel.
He also urged the Federal Government to make public any proposed public health measures that could affect political campaigns or the 2027 elections, saying such decisions must be based on medical advice and not political considerations.
The ADC maintained that the reported contradiction between the Presidency’s announcement that ₦10 billion had been released and the APC’s claim that the money remained untouched should be resolved through official records.
The party concluded by calling on the Tinubu administration to “Show Nigerians where the money is. Explain the response timeline. Protect health workers. Trace every contact. President Tinubu and the APC owe the country answers not ‘Bola-Ebola’ tales.”
The statement followed recent exchanges between the APC and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the Federal Government’s handling of Ebola preparedness after health authorities confirmed a case in Abuja.
