Gombe APC Blasts PDP Over Diphtheria Outbreak Criticism
The All Progressives Congress, Gombe State chapter, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party of politicizing the diphtheria outbreak in the state, describing the opposition party’s comments on the health emergency as insensitive and potentially harmful to ongoing containment efforts. In a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Murtala Usman Wuro Tale, the APC said the outbreak required coordinated medical and public health interventions rather than political arguments. The ruling party said the state government had activated a comprehensive response through the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and other health authorities. It listed measures including risk communication and community engagement, active case searches, the evacuation and isolation of suspected and confirmed cases, free treatment at designated secondary and tertiary health facilities, as well as reactive vaccination campaigns. According to the APC, more than one million children between the ages of two and 15 in affected communities had already been vaccinated, while an additional 350,000 vaccine doses supplied by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency had been distributed to affected areas.
The APC also rejected allegations that the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya had been indifferent to healthcare, citing investments in health infrastructure, disease surveillance and immunization. The party said 228 primary healthcare centres across the state’s 114 wards had been revitalised, alongside the recruitment of health workers and collaboration with national and international health organisations. It said the state government was working with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and other development partners to contain the outbreak. The APC urged the PDP to avoid statements it described as capable of undermining public confidence or creating unnecessary panic, stressing that political disagreements should not interfere with public health interventions. It said the state government would continue to rely on medical experts and established disease-control protocols in responding to the outbreak.
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