Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to produce financial records explaining the whereabouts of the ?10 billion approved by President Bola Tinubu for Ebola emergency preparedness, dismissing the ruling party’s claim that the money remains untouched.
Atiku’s camp insisted that the APC’s admission raised fresh questions about whether the funds were ever released as directed by the President in June.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 23, Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, accused the APC of avoiding accountability while attacking Atiku over his criticism of Tinubu’s handling of the Ebola emergency.
The response followed Thursday’s statement by APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson Dele Alake, who accused Atiku of politicising public health issues and disrespecting the President by linking his first name to Ebola.
Alake had defended the government’s handling of the emergency, disclosing that the ?10 billion approved by Tinubu in June remained untouched because relevant agencies were using other available resources.
However, Atiku’s camp argued that the explanation had created more questions than answers.
‘Was the money released or was it not?’ Shaibu asked.
‘If it was released, where is it held, who controls it, and why has it not been used for the preparedness President Tinubu announced?’
He further questioned why the Presidency announced an immediate release of the funds if the money had not actually been disbursed.
The statement demanded the publication of release documents, account records and expenditure reports relating to the Presidential Task Force on Ebola.
Shaibu insisted that attacking Atiku would not resolve the questions surrounding the emergency allocation.
‘Insulting Atiku Abubakar will not account for one naira,’ he declared.
The controversy began after Atiku questioned the Federal Government’s preparedness following the confirmation of an imported Ebola case in Abuja.
In his initial statement, the former vice-president demanded an account of the ?10 billion and questioned how the patient entered Nigeria without the infection being detected immediately.
The APC subsequently responded, accusing him of exploiting a serious public health concern to ridicule the President.
Alake particularly objected to Atiku’s use of the phrase ‘Bola-Ebola’, which the ruling party described as disrespectful.
But Shaibu dismissed the criticism on Friday, accusing the APC of focusing on wordplay instead of explaining the money.
‘The APC only found a rhyme,’ the statement declared.
Shaibu further alleged that Tinubu’s economic policies had caused severe hardship for Nigerians, arguing that the ruling party should address public concerns rather than engage in exchanges over the similarity between the words ‘Bola’ and ‘Ebola’.
The ADC campaign spokesman also revisited questions surrounding the detection of Nigeria’s confirmed Ebola case.
He cited information released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which indicated that the female patient developed symptoms on October 7, sought medical attention at a private health facility on October 11 and received laboratory confirmation on October 20.
Shaibu questioned when the infection was first suspected, when public health officials were notified and when contact tracing commenced.
He also challenged the APC’s claim that Nigeria’s surveillance network had alerted authorities to the infection.
According to him, the government should disclose the specific agency responsible for raising the alert, the date it was issued and the actions taken afterwards.
The statement further noted that the 44 identified contacts were individuals whose health needed protection, rather than evidence to be used in political arguments.
Atiku’s camp also renewed its call for transparency concerning any public health restrictions that could affect political campaigns or voting ahead of the 2027 elections.
It maintained that any proposed restrictions should be publicly disclosed alongside their medical justification.
The APC had earlier rejected suggestions that the Ebola emergency was being used to discourage political participation, describing the allegation as speculative.
Meanwhile, the Presidency’s announcement of June 9 confirms that Tinubu approved the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola and ordered the immediate release of ?10 billion for emergency preparedness.
The fund was intended to strengthen the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical public health response activities.