The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has urged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to stop politicising public health issues, accusing him of repeatedly making statements laced with insult and disrespect toward the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In a press release issued on Thursday by the campaign council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, the APC said a statement credited to the former vice president on the latest public health issue opened with a title linking President Bola Tinubu’s first name to Ebola and questioning how the Presidential Task Force spent the N10 billion approved for the emergency.
The campaign council said linking and rhyming President Tinubu’s name with Ebola only risked turning a serious health concern into a vehicle to ridicule the President of the Federal Republic.
According to the release, the statement showed patent ignorance about the virus and why the traveller from Uganda was not detected on arrival at the Abuja airport. It explained that for anyone infected with the virus, the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days, with symptoms typically appearing eight to 10 days after exposure, and that an infected person cannot spread or transmit Ebola to others until they actively develop symptoms.
This, the APC said, was why it took the infected Nigerian some days before reporting to the hospital, where several tests confirmed the person had Ebola.
On accountability, the campaign council said the N10 billion the President approved for the Ebola emergency in June remains untouched, while the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and other surveillance agencies have spent other available resources.
It said the agencies deserve applause for mounting robust surveillance at entry points to avert the spread of Ebola whenever it lands on Nigeria’s shores, noting that the surveillance network tipped off the government about the index case and led to the contact tracing of the patient’s 44 contacts.
“A responsible opposition will applaud the Task Force for being responsive. But the Atiku camp always goes for cheap shots at the government,” the statement said.
It also described as speculative Atiku’s allegation that a ministerial briefing was intended to discourage attendance at campaign rallies or voting, saying the former vice president cannot make such a serious allegation without verifiable evidence, especially in the thick of electioneering.
“In this vein, we consider his allegation that a ministerial briefing is intended to discourage attendance at campaign rallies or voting speculative. Vice President Atiku cannot make such a serious allegation without verifiable evidence, especially in the thick of electioneering,” the council said.
The APC added that the press conference did not raise the issue, except to appeal to the public to comply with the protocol announced by the Task Force.
The council advised Atiku Abubakar and his associates to avoid politicising public health issues, stressing that a time like this demands that all Nigerians, including the opposition, rally around the health authorities and professionals, communicate responsibly, avoid rumour-mongering, and follow the protocols advised by the Task Force to ensure Ebola does not become a national epidemic.
“Nigerians deserve, first of all, protection from the deadly disease,” the statement added.
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