The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has removed Alwan Hassan and three others as campaign spokespersons, a day after Hassan’s live television demonstration of Nigeria’s 112 emergency line failed on air.
In a statement on Wednesday, November 11, Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the campaign council, said only three senior officials will now speak for the campaign. He said the change was meant to improve coordination and discipline in the campaign’s public communication.
Who was affected
The four spokespersons removed are Alwan Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda. All four were appointed when the council was formed in August. They have not been expelled from the campaign: they will now serve as members of its Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
The new official spokespersons
- Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Director-General of the campaign council
- Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development
- Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation
The council said it would name other representatives for media appearances when needed.
The 112 incident
On Tuesday night, Hassan appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today with presenter Seun Okinbaloye. To showcase what he described as an achievement of the Tinubu administration, he asked Okinbaloye to dial 112, the national emergency number, live on air.
Repeated attempts to connect failed during the broadcast. Hassan insisted the service works and suggested a network fault was to blame. The clip drew wide criticism online and from opposition parties.
The campaign council’s statement did not say whether the incident led to the decision.
Sources: QED.ng, Naija News, The Whistler.
