The presidential campaign council of Nigeria's African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged a plot to change the date of the 2027 presidential election and is insisting the vote go ahead on January 16, THISDAYLIVE reports.
According to THISDAYLIVE, the council said it had uncovered the alleged plan and called for the election to be held as scheduled. The report did not set out the evidence behind the claim or name those accused.
Coverage of the allegation appeared across several Nigerian outlets. Punch Newspapers reported that the ADC warned against the alleged plot to shift the presidential election, while Daily Post Nigeria reported the party telling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the election date belongs to Nigerians.
The claim comes amid public discussion about whether the election timetable should change because of Ebola. TheCable reported that former presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo rejected moving the 2027 vote over the outbreak, saying the situation is not an epidemic. Premium Times Nigeria reported that the director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said no government would use Ebola as a political weapon.
INEC has not responded publicly to the ADC's allegation in the reports reviewed. The commission sets and publishes the election timetable, and any change to the date would come from it.
What to watch next: whether INEC issues a statement on the election date and whether the ADC provides details to support its claim.
