The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has warned against any attempt to postpone the January 16, 2027 presidential election, alleging that the Ebola outbreak could be used as a pretext to alter the electoral timetable.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council claimed there could be efforts to pressure the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, into shifting the election date. However, the council did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
The opposition campaign body urged the INEC chairman to resist any move aimed at changing the scheduled election date, insisting that the timetable should remain intact.
“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the statement said. The council also challenged President Bola Tinubu to seek re-election through the democratic process rather than through any extension of the electoral calendar.
“If President Tinubu believes Nigerians want another four years of his government, he should face them at the ballot box, not seek more time through the back door,” the statement added.
According to the ADC campaign council, Nigerians should be allowed to assess the administration’s record at the polls as scheduled, noting that citizens have endured years of economic challenges, including rising prices and declining purchasing power.
The council warned that any alteration to the election timetable without compelling justification could erode public confidence in the electoral process. While acknowledging the seriousness of the reported Ebola outbreak, the group maintained that public health concerns should not be used for political purposes or as grounds to delay the election without clear evidence.
“Ebola is a serious public health concern. Health professionals must be free to contain it, and INEC must take every necessary step to protect voters and election workers,” the statement said.
The campaign council further claimed that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had indicated there was currently no reason to postpone the election.
It called on INEC to implement all necessary health and safety measures while adhering to the published election timetable. The council also urged local and international election observers to closely monitor any proposal to shift the poll date and ensure that any such decision is backed by publicly available evidence.
“The presidency must not use a health emergency to escape an electoral verdict,” the statement stated. Despite its concerns, the ADC acknowledged that there was no public confirmation that the President had summoned the INEC chairman or made a formal request for the election to be postponed. Neither the Presidency nor INEC had responded to the allegations at the time of the statement.
The warning comes amid growing discussions about the impact of public health emergencies on electoral preparations, with the ADC insisting that any decision affecting the January 16, 2027 presidential election must be transparent, justified and subjected to public scrutiny.
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