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APC Silences Campaign Spokespersons, Names Yari, Alake, Idris Sole Voices
APC Silences Campaign Spokespersons, Names Yari, Alake, Idris Sole Voices
The APC Presidential Campaign Council has dissolved its previously announced spokespersons, restricting official communication on its behalf to three principal officials.
Director-General Abdulaziz Yari, Solid Minerals Development Minister Dele Alake and Information Minister Mohammed Idris are the only officials authorised to speak for the council.
All previously designated spokespersons have lost their official speaking roles and been relegated to ordinary membership of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
The restructuring comes amid public controversy over Alwan Hassan’s failed live demonstration of the national 112 emergency number, although the council has not linked the incident to its decision.
November 11, () – The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC’ PCC) has dissolved its previously announced spokespersons, restricting official communication on behalf of the campaign to three principal officials in a major restructuring of its media and public engagement operations.
Under the new arrangement, only the council’s Director-General, Senator 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.
Dele Alake
The decision was announced in a statement issued by the Chief of Staff to the President and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the council, Femi Gbajabiamila.
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Gbajabiamila said the restructuring was intended to ensure “more cohesive, disciplined, and effective public engagement.”
reports that the development comes less than twenty-four hours after Alwan Hassan, an APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesperson, attracted public attention following his failed attempt to demonstrate the functionality of Nigeria’s national emergency number, 112, during a live television programme on Tuesday evening.
Channel
According to the statement, all individuals previously authorised to speak for the campaign council have had their spokesperson designations withdrawn and will now serve as ordinary members of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
The decision effectively ends the previous arrangement under which several individuals were authorised to represent the council and communicate its official positions on political and campaign-related matters.
Under the revised structure, Yari, Alake and Idris will assume responsibility for official statements, public explanations and media engagements on behalf of the council.
Former Zamfara State Governor Senator Abdulaziz Yari
Broadcast Stations Directed To Comply With New Arrangement
The campaign council also directed radio and television stations to take note of the revised communication structure and comply with the directive when seeking official comments or inviting representatives for interviews and other media engagements.
The directive is intended to ensure that broadcast organisations recognise the three designated officials as the authorised voices of the council.
The statement added that other individuals could be designated to represent the campaign at media engagements whenever necessary.
Such appearances would, however, require specific authorisation from the council, ending the previous arrangement under which several individuals held standing spokesperson positions.
Gbajabiamila Announces Communication Restructuring
Femi Gbajabiamila Chief of Staff to the President
Gbajabiamila, who signed the statement in his capacity as Chief of Staff to the President and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the council, said the changes were designed to improve the coordination and effectiveness of its public communication.
The statement did not provide further details on the circumstances that prompted the dissolution of the previously announced spokespersons or indicate whether additional administrative changes would accompany the restructuring.
The new arrangement places responsibility for official communication on behalf of the APC Presidential Campaign Council under Yari, Alake and Idris, while retaining the affected individuals as members of its Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
Move Follows Hassan’s Failed 112 Demonstration On Live Television
The announcement comes amid public controversy generated by Hassan’s appearance on MEDIA TODAY’s Politics Today, where he challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to test the national emergency number after describing it as one of the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Hassan had urged Okinbaloye to dial 112 and put his phone on speaker, insisting that the call would connect him to an emergency communication centre serving his location.
However, the presenter repeatedly failed to establish a connection.
“This number is not working”, Okinbaloye said during the programme.
Hassan subsequently attempted to dial the number several times but was equally unable to connect. He initially suggested that the failure could be attributable to network problems.
Okinbaloye, however, challenged the explanation, pointing out that other calls were connecting from the same location. He also disclosed that viewers were sending messages indicating that they, too, could not reach the emergency number.
Despite the failed attempts, Hassan maintained that the service had worked for him on previous occasions.
He subsequently disclosed that nationwide coordination of emergency communication centres was still being developed, adding that the Abuja centre was ready but had yet to be officially launched because the President wanted centres across the country to be properly aligned.
Hassan expressed optimism that the nationwide arrangement would be completed by March next year.
The failed demonstration renewed questions about the accessibility and operational readiness of the emergency number, which is intended to provide assistance during medical, security, fire and other emergencies.
However, the APC Presidential Campaign Council did not indicate in its restructuring announcement that Hassan’s television appearance or the controversy surrounding the emergency number influenced its decision.
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