The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has restricted the number of officials authorised to communicate its official position, following a restructuring of its media and strategic communications directorate.
Titiansloaded reports that the revised arrangement was announced on Wednesday by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the campaign council.
According to Gbajabiamila, the changes are intended to improve coordination, maintain consistency in public statements and ensure greater discipline in the council’s media engagements.
Under the new structure, three officials will serve as the authorised voices of the campaign. They are the Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who will function as spokesperson; and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
Gbajabiamila explained that individuals previously announced as spokespersons would no longer hold that designation. Instead, they would become members of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
He also asked television and radio stations to take note of the changes, adding that the campaign council would nominate suitable representatives whenever media appearances were required.
The announcement followed a controversial interview involving Alwan Hassan, who had previously spoken for the APC campaign council.
During his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Hassan discussed the operation of Nigeria’s 112 emergency response number with the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye.
Hassan challenged the anchor to call the emergency line during the live broadcast as proof that the service was working. However, several attempts to reach the number failed.
He suggested that network difficulties could have caused the unsuccessful calls, but Okinbaloye questioned the explanation.
The campaign council did not state that the restructuring was connected to the television exchange. Gbajabiamila’s announcement instead presented the changes as an effort to streamline the council’s communication process.
With the revised arrangement, the council has placed responsibility for official public statements in the hands of three designated figures, while other previously appointed spokespersons will remain within the communications directorate as members.
