Yobe State has documented 511 cases of diphtheria and 13 deaths from January to 8 September, according to health authorities.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Muhammad Gana, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Thursday.

Mr Gana explained that the 13 deaths corresponded to a case fatality rate of 2.5 per cent, which is lower than in most other affected states across the country.

He affirmed that the outbreak impacted 12 local government areas in the state, and that vaccination plans in these areas were well underway.

Mr Gana further stated that the current total of 511 diphtheria cases was significantly lower than the 1,100 cases reported in September 2025 and previous years.

He attributed the decline since 2023, when the state recorded its highest burden of 3,080 cases, to sustained outbreak response activities.

The activities listed by the Commissioner included providing free medication to victims, training health workers on response strategies, conducting intensive vaccinations in hard-to-reach areas, community engagement, and sensitisation campaigns against the disease.

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Additional efforts involved aggressive contact tracing by health personnel, sharing updates with relevant stakeholders, holding regular coordination meetings, and mobilising resources for outbreak response.

Mr Gana praised the support from WHO, UNICEF, and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) for assisting the state’s vaccination campaign against diphtheria, especially in nomadic settlements.

Diphtheria is a bacterial infection that primarily affects the throat and upper respiratory tract.

It mainly spreads through respiratory droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing, and occasionally through direct contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated secretions.

Former Kano State Governor and Vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has called on former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to abandon his 2027 presidential ambition and return to his hometown in Adamawa State.

Kwankwaso made the comment while addressing members of the Fulani Farmers Association at his residence in Abuja.

The former Kano governor urged people from Adamawa State to speak with Atiku and persuade him to return home and focus on his traditional responsibilities.

He said Atiku, who is the Waziri of Adamawa, should consider his age and physical condition before deciding to contest another presidential election.

Kwankwaso said those from Adamawa should appeal to the former vice-president to leave the presidential contest and assured that he would be properly taken care of if he returned home.

He said: “Tell the Waziri of Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar, in Fulfulde, to return to his hometown and give proper attention to his chieftaincy responsibilities, considering his age and physical condition. We promise that we will take care of him.

“Those of you who come from Adamawa should know how to appeal to him and make him understand.”

The statement represents another direct intervention by Kwankwaso in the political contest surrounding Atiku as preparations for the 2027 presidential election gather momentum.

Both politicians have been prominent figures in Nigeria’s opposition politics.

Kwankwaso and Atiku were previously part of the same opposition realignment before they changed and the two eventually moved into separate camps.

Atiku is currently seeking another opportunity to contest the presidency, while Kwankwaso is running as Peter Obi’s running mate on the NDC platform.

The NDC ticket was formally adopted as the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2027 election.

Kwankwaso also questioned whether Nigeria at this stage requires Atiku to return to the presidential contest.

The former Kano governor argued that the country of today is different from the Nigeria of several decades ago when Atiku first became a major force in national politics.

“The Nigeria of today is no longer the kind of country that is suitable for him to rule. Nigeria was better suited for him about 30 years ago, especially in 1993,” he said.

He went on to recall his political relationship with Atiku during the political developments of the early 1990s.

Kwankwaso was a member of the House of Representatives at the time and served as Deputy Speaker.

Atiku was also an influential figure within the political movement of the period.

Kwankwaso said he had personally supported Atiku during the political process in Jos in 1993.

“When we went to Jos at that time, I was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and we voted for him,” he said.

Atiku has remained active in the opposition camp and is expected to contest the presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The former vice-president has previously contested the presidency several times.

He was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections but lost to President Bola Tinubu in 2023 after finishing second.

Atiku has maintained that his experience and capacity make him qualified to seek the highest political office in the country.

Kwankwaso, however, has now openly questioned the suitability of such a bid, pointing instead to Atiku’s age and long political career.

The two politicians have a long history of interaction within Nigeria’s opposition politics.

In March 2026, Atiku received Kwankwaso at his residence in Abuja during a period when opposition politicians were exploring possible cooperation ahead of the 2027 election.

Atiku later visited Kwankwaso in Kano in April, describing him as a brother and political partner.

The meeting took place when both men were still associated with the ADC and were publicly promoting opposition unity.

That political understanding later changed.

Kwankwaso and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi eventually left the ADC and joined the NDC in May.