Nigeria considers postponing 2027 elections over Ebola
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Pmnewsnigeria
Nigeria could postpone its 2027 general elections if the Ebola outbreak spreads far enough to become a major public health threat, Jide Idris, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, said. However, he hopes the vote scheduled for January will go ahead as planned, according to Channels Television.
Nigeria could postpone its 2027 general elections if the Ebola outbreak spreads widely in the country, Jide Idris, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), told Channels Television. However, he said there was currently no reason to change the timetable and that he hoped the vote would go ahead as planned.
The elections are due to begin in January 2027, while candidates’ campaigns have already started. Idris said any decision to postpone them would depend on the extent of the spread and the threat to public health. He also rejected the idea that the outbreak could be used as a political tool, saying health issues should not be used to influence the electoral process.
According to Idris, health authorities had been monitoring the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for several months before the virus reached Nigeria. People’s movements, international flights and activity at the country’s points of entry facilitated its spread. Nigeria has confirmed an Ebola case in a woman traveller and is monitoring people who had contact with her, according to information published by the authorities. The country is monitoring 53 contacts as part of its Ebola response.
