APC removes Alwan Hassan and other campaign spokespersons after his Channels TV interview, limiting authorised voices for the Tinubu campaign
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has removed Alwan Hassan and three other officials from their roles as campaign spokespersons following a restructuring of its media and communications team.
Also read:Kalu Predicts Landslide Victory for Tinubu in 2027
The decision was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the campaign council.
Under the new arrangement, only three officials are authorised to speak on behalf of the council.
They are its Director-General, Abdulaziz Yari; Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, who remains the official spokesperson; and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
The other affected officials are Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda.
However, the council did not announce their expulsion from the campaign team.
Instead, the four officials have been reassigned to the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications as ordinary members, without their previous spokesperson responsibilities.
Gbajabiamila said the restructuring was intended to promote more coordinated and disciplined public engagement.
The council also directed radio and television stations to take note of the changes and said it would designate authorised representatives for media appearances when necessary.
The development comes shortly after Hassan’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday, November 10, where he discussed the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
During the interview with presenter Seun Okinbaloye, Hassan identified Nigeria’s 112 emergency telephone number as one of the government’s achievements, comparing it with the 911 emergency service in the United States.
To demonstrate its availability, he challenged the presenter to dial the number during the live broadcast.
“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 did not go as expected, as repeated attempts to connect to the emergency line failed during the programme.
Hassan suggested that a network problem might have caused the unsuccessful calls, while Okinbaloye questioned the explanation, noting that other calls from the studio were connecting successfully.
The incident attracted widespread attention and criticism, particularly because Hassan had presented the emergency number as evidence of the administration’s achievements.
The failed demonstration also renewed public questions about the accessibility and reliability of Nigeria’s emergency response system.
Hassan’s removal as spokesperson has therefore drawn attention because it followed closely after the television controversy.
However, the campaign council’s announcement did not expressly state that the failed 112 demonstration was the reason for the restructuring.
Also read:Kalu Predicts Landslide Victory for Tinubu in 2027
The changes leave Yari, Alake and Idris as the three officials authorised to communicate officially on behalf of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
