BREAKING: Nigerian Government Set to Postpone 2027 General Elections
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Jide Idris, has said the Federal Government could consider postponing the 2027 general elections if the Ebola outbreak spreads widely across the country.
However, Idris stressed that there is currently no need to postpone the elections, noting that any such decision would depend on the severity of the outbreak.
He made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the potential impact of the disease on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
According to him, although postponement could become an option if the outbreak worsens, the government remains hopeful that the elections will hold as scheduled.
“We hope the election will not be postponed, but if the thing gets wide enough, that might be considered. As at now, there is no need for that,” he said.
The NCDC director-general also dismissed suggestions that the government might use the health crisis for political purposes, insisting that public health issues should not be turned into political weapons.
“We in the health sector did not use disease issues as a political weapon,” Idris stated.
Explaining how Nigeria became vulnerable to the possible importation of the virus, he said health authorities had been monitoring the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for months before its reported spread to Nigeria.
He identified population movements, international flights and activities at the country’s ports of entry as factors that could facilitate the transmission of the disease into Nigeria.
“This Ebola thing started in DRC a couple of months ago and we were tracking. They said for you to track again, there is a possibility that it may get here due to our population movement, flight into this country, and ports of entry, yet it came,” he said.
Idris reiterated that decisions on public health emergencies should be based on the prevailing situation rather than political considerations.
His comments come as political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general elections.
However, the NCDC chief did not announce any decision to postpone the polls. He maintained that postponement was not currently necessary and would only be considered if the outbreak became sufficiently widespread.
Any change to the election timetable would require an official announcement from the relevant authorities.
