The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, has forcefully dismissed allegations that the ongoing Ebola outbreak could be converted into a political weapon or leveraged to justify postponing upcoming elections. ​Speaking during a national media briefing on October 26, 2026, at the NCDC Headquarters in Abuja, Dr. Idris stressed that public health emergencies should never be manipulated for political advantage.
He addressed growing public speculation regarding the political fallout of the disease, assuring citizens that containment remains the government’s sole priority. ​”We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” Dr. Idris stated, adding that there was no technical justification to delay electoral activities on account of the outbreak. While emphasizing that official decisions on polling schedules lie strictly with election authorities, he noted that current epidemiological assessments do not warrant any disruption to the political timetable. ​
Dr. Idris also clarified that Nigerian health authorities had actively monitored the virus’s trajectory from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) long before cases reached Nigeria. Preemptive surveillance measures and emergency funding were deployed to track population movements and international flights to reduce the impact of imported transmissions. ​Addressing public anxieties over disease transmission, the NCDC chief reminded citizens that Ebola is not an airborne virus.
Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. He cautioned the public against relying on unproven herbal remedies, urging anyone exhibiting symptoms to report to accredited health facilities immediately. ​The NCDC reinforced that national surveillance teams, border screening networks, and contact-tracing frameworks remain fully operational across key transit hubs to prevent further spread.
