The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has warned against postponing the January 16, 2027 presidential election, using the Ebola outbreak as a justification for altering the electoral timetable.
The council alleged that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and pressured to shift the election, although it did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the council said it was raising the alarm ahead of the alleged meeting and urged Amupitan to reject any attempt to change the election date.
“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the council said.
It challenged Tinubu to seek another term through the ballot box rather than attempt to secure additional time in office through a postponement.
“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.
The ADC campaign council said Nigerians had endured three and a half years of rising prices, declining purchasing power and economic hardship, arguing that voters should be allowed to assess the administration’s performance at the polls as scheduled.
It maintained that any attempt to alter the timetable without compelling justification would undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
On the reported Ebola concerns, the opposition campaign council acknowledged the seriousness of the public health threat but cautioned against using it as a political reason to delay the election.
“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,” it said.
The council further claimed that the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had said there was no reason at present to postpone the election.
It urged the electoral commission to take necessary precautions to protect voters and election personnel while keeping to the published timetable.
The council also called on domestic election observers and international monitoring organisations to scrutinise any proposal to change the date, insisting that such a decision must be supported by publicly available health evidence.
“The presidency must not use a health emergency to escape an electoral verdict,” it said.
The allegation comes amid concerns over the intersection of public health emergencies and electoral preparations, with any change to an election timetable carrying implications for political parties, candidates, voters and election administrators.
However, the statement did not establish that the President had summoned the INEC chairman or that any formal request to postpone the election had been made.
The presidency and INEC were not quoted as responding to the allegation in the statement made available by the council.
The January 16, 2027 date cited by the ADC council is central to its warning, with the group insisting that any change must be justified by verifiable circumstances and subjected to public scrutiny rather than handled through private political discussions.
