APC sacks Alwan Hassan after 112 emergency call fails on live TV

Hassan, who had appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday to defend President Bola Tinubu’s administration, challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial the emergency number, insisting that it was fully operational.

However, repeated attempts to connect to the number failed during the broadcast, triggering controversy over the government’s emergency response system.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, the APC campaign council announced a restructuring of its media and communications directorate, restricting the authority to speak officially for 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 ordinary members of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.

The council explained that the restructuring was intended to promote 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.

The council also directed radio and television stations to comply with the new arrangement, saying authorised representatives would be assigned to media appearances when necessary.

The shake-up followed Hassan’s controversial appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday, November 10.

During the interview, Hassan listed the 112 emergency telephone number among the achievements of the Tinubu administration, explaining that Nigerians could use it to request 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 it.

“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.

But the demonstration took an unexpected turn when the presenter dialled the number and the call failed to connect.

Repeated attempts were equally unsuccessful.

Hassan suggested that the failure could have resulted from a network problem, maintaining that the emergency service was operational.

Okinbaloye, however, questioned the explanation, noting that other telephone calls from the studio were connecting successfully.

The development leaves Alake, Yari and Idris as the only officials authorised to speak for Tinubu’s presidential campaign council.