Patience Tarhemba
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has removed Alwan Hassan and three other officials from its authorised spokesperson team following a restructuring of its Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
Those affected alongside Hassan are Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun Shittu and Adamu Fanda, who will continue as members of the media directorate but will no longer serve as authorised spokespersons.
Under the revised arrangement, only the council’s Director General, Abdulaziz Yari; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, are authorised to speak on its behalf.
The decision, announced in a statement signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Deputy Director General (Administration) of the campaign council, restricts official communication on behalf of the council to three designated representatives.
The restructuring comes amid public attention surrounding Hassan’s recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the achievements of the Tinubu administration and highlighted Nigeria’s 112 emergency telephone number as an important public service.
During the November 10 programme, Hassan challenged the show’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial the emergency number live, insisting that Nigerians could use it to request assistance during medical emergencies, security incidents and other distress situations.
However, repeated attempts by the presenter to connect to the number during the broadcast were unsuccessful.
Okinbaloye questioned the functionality of the service, particularly after Hassan maintained that the number was operational and suggested that a network problem could have prevented the call from connecting.
The presenter also disclosed that viewers were sending messages indicating that they had experienced similar difficulties when attempting to reach the emergency line.
The exchange attracted considerable public attention, with questions emerging about the readiness of Nigeria’s emergency response infrastructure and the reliability of a service intended to provide urgent assistance to citizens.
In its subsequent communication, the APC Presidential Campaign Council announced changes to its media structure, explaining that the arrangement was intended to promote more coordinated, disciplined and effective public engagement.
However, the council did not expressly state that Hassan’s removal was a punishment for the failed television demonstration.
The development has nevertheless drawn attention because it followed closely after the controversy surrounding his appearance on national television.
The incident has also renewed conversations about the need for a dependable national emergency response system, particularly in a country where citizens regularly face road accidents, medical emergencies, insecurity and other situations requiring immediate intervention.
While the failed television demonstration raised concerns about the accessibility of the 112 service, it did not independently establish that the number was unavailable across the entire country. TheCable subsequently reported that its own test call connected to the Lagos State emergency centre.
With the new communication arrangement, the APC Presidential Campaign Council has narrowed its list of authorised spokespersons to three officials, while the four affected individuals remain within its media directorate.
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