The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has removed Alwan Hassan as a campaign spokesman following his failed attempt to demonstrate the effectiveness of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number during a live television broadcast.
The decision came barely 24 hours after Hassan challenged Channels Television’s Politics Today presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial the emergency number during an interview on Tuesday, November 10. Repeated attempts to connect were unsuccessful.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, the campaign council announced changes to its Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications, limiting the authority to speak officially on behalf of the campaign to three designated officials.
The statement was signed by the Chief of Staff to the President and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the campaign council, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Under the new 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 behalf of the campaign.
Hassan and three other previously designated spokespersons — Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda — have lost their spokesperson roles but will remain members of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
The council said the restructuring was aimed at ensuring more coordinated public communication.
“To ensure more cohesive, disciplined, and effective public engagement, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has made some changes to the structure of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications,” the statement read.
It added that all previously announced spokespersons would henceforth operate as members of the directorate rather than speak officially for the campaign.
The council also directed radio and television stations to comply with the new arrangement, stating that authorised representatives would be assigned to media appearances when necessary.
The development followed Hassan’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, where he defended President Bola Tinubu’s administration and listed the 112 emergency telephone number among its achievements.
During the interview, Hassan explained that Nigerians could call the number to seek assistance during medical emergencies, security threats and road accidents.
He compared the service to the United States’ 911 emergency response system and challenged Okinbaloye to test its effectiveness.
“Take your phone and call 112. Nobody knows about this. We used to hear it in America, 911. Call 112 now, put it on the speaker, and they’ll ask you what’s your emergency,” Hassan said.
However, the demonstration took an unexpected turn when Okinbaloye dialled the number, but the call failed to connect. Repeated attempts were equally unsuccessful.
Hassan attributed the failure to a possible network problem, insisting that the emergency service was operational.
Okinbaloye, however, questioned the explanation, pointing out that other telephone calls from the studio were connecting successfully.
The 112 emergency number was established by the Nigerian Communications Commission as a toll-free line for Nigerians to report emergencies to the police, fire service, ambulance and other first responders.
In 2024, the NCC said the number had been activated across all states, with call centres in Abuja and Lagos handling distress calls.
However, the service has faced criticism over poor response times and lack of public awareness, issues that Hassan’s failed demonstration brought into sharp focus.
