Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to explain Nigeria’s Ebola response and oppose limits on political participation ahead of the 2027 election. TheNiche and BusinessDay reported the remarks, attributing them to Sowore.
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed one case in the Federal Capital Territory on Oct. 20. The patient, a woman who arrived on an international flight from Uganda, was isolated and receiving care. The ministry said 44 close contacts were being monitored as part of Nigeria’s Ebola contact-tracing response.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified the illness as Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease. WHO said the woman developed symptoms on Oct. 7, four days after arriving in Nigeria, and sought care at a private Abuja facility on Oct. 11. Laboratory tests confirmed the virus on Oct. 20.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health said it had no confirmed active Ebola cases as of Oct. 20. In its statement, the ministry said the woman had traveled to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo for business and passed through Uganda without symptoms in early October. It said those movements did not establish where she was infected and that Nigeria had not yet provided detailed travel and clinical information.
Tinubu established the Presidential Task Force on Ebola preparedness on June 9, before Nigeria confirmed the case. The State House said he appointed Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila as chair and approved ₦10 billion for emergency preparedness. TheNiche and BusinessDay reported that Sowore questioned Gbajabiamila’s appointment and called for a stronger role for public health professionals. BusinessDay reported that Sowore provided no evidence that the government planned election-related restrictions.
WHO said Nigeria was the fifth country to detect the virus since the outbreak was declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on May 15. WHO and Uganda’s ministry said investigators were still working to establish where the patient was exposed.
