The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council has alleged a plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the January 16, 2027 presidential election over the Ebola outbreak.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the campaign council, claimed that the council had received information suggesting that INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and directed to change the election date.
Shaibu, however, did not provide evidence to substantiate the allegation. 
The ADC campaign council spokesperson urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon any alleged plan to alter the election timetable, insisting that the president should seek re-election through the ballot box.
“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa,” the statement said.
Shaibu argued that Nigerians should be allowed to assess the administration’s performance at the polls, citing rising prices, declining incomes and economic hardship.
“A government that has made life this difficult for Nigerians must not be allowed to postpone its day of judgment,” he added.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the Ebola outbreak, the ADC spokesperson warned against using the public health situation as a justification for delaying the election.
He urged health authorities to sustain containment efforts and called on INEC to implement appropriate measures to protect voters and election officials during the electoral process.
Shaibu also cited comments attributed to the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, who reportedly said there was no current justification for postponing the 2027 general election because of the outbreak.
“As of now, there is no need for that. We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” Idris was quoted as saying on Monday.
The ADC campaign council further called on INEC, domestic election observers and international monitoring organisations to scrutinise any proposal to change the election timetable.
It maintained that any consideration of a postponement should be publicly explained, supported by published health evidence and subjected to public scrutiny.
Similarly, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, had cautioned against postponing the election or suspending political campaigns because of the Ebola outbreak.
Speaking at a dinner organised by the SDP presidential campaign council in Abuja on Sunday, Adebayo argued that a single confirmed case was insufficient justification for shutting down public activities.
