By GARBA MUHAMMAD

The name of Alwan Hassan, one of the previously announced spokespersons of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has been featuring prominently in political conversations since Wednesday afternoon, November, when the Council announced the reorganization of its media and communications structure.

The council, in a statement announcing the changes, said the reorganisation was designed to ensure more cohesive, disciplined and effective public engagement ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Under the new arrangement, only the campaign’s Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who will serve as the official spokesperson; and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, are authorised to speak on behalf of the council.

The council directed that all individuals previously announced to speak in its capacity must henceforth dissolve into the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications as members, effectively stripping them of their previous spokesperson status.

It also advised radio and television stations to take note of the changes, explaining that the campaign would designate appropriate persons to represent it during media appearances whenever necessary.

The statement was signed by Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The development comes amid a series of controversies involving Alwan Hassan, one of the previously announced spokespersons of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, whose recent television appearances have generated public reactions and put the ruling party on the defensive.

A few weeks ago, Hassan sparked controversy when he alleged that some ministers paid billions of naira to secure appointments and subsequently sought to recover the money after assuming office.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Hassan made the allegation while defending President Tinubu’s performance ahead of the 2027 general election.

He had highlighted the administration’s achievements in education, electricity, technology and pension payments, arguing that its record would help the APC reclaim states it lost during the 2023 general election.

However, in the course of defending the administration, he alleged that some ministers prioritised recovering the money they allegedly spent securing their appointments.

“A lot of ministers pay billions and billions, and you know, to get themselves appointed, the first thing they think of is how to recoup that money,” Hassan said.

The allegation triggered reactions, forcing the APC to publicly distance itself from the claim.

The party subsequently denied that ministers under the Tinubu administration paid billions of naira to secure appointments, clarifying that Hassan’s comments referred to alleged historical practices rather than the current administration.

In another incident that further attracted attention, Hassan’s attempt to demonstrate the functionality of Nigeria’s 112 emergency telephone line during a live television programme ended in embarrassment after the number failed to connect.

The Incident occurred on Tuesday during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.

While presenting the emergency number as one of the achievements of the Tinubu administration, Hassan challenged the presenter to dial 112 during the live broadcast to demonstrate how Nigerians could access emergency services.

“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. Thanks to the APC government,” he said.

However, the demonstration did not go as anticipated, as the presenter’s call failed to connect.

“This number is not working,” Okinbaloye remarked during the programme.

Hassan attributed the unsuccessful attempt to a possible network problem, insisting that the emergency line was functional and claiming that he had successfully called it several times in the past.

The latest reorganisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s communications structure effectively centralises the campaign’s public messaging under three designated officials, while other members of the media directorate are expected to operate within the revised arrangement.