The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has relieved Alwan Hassan of his position as a campaign spokesperson following the controversy surrounding his unsuccessful demonstration of Nigeria’s 112 emergency number during a live television interview.

The decision was announced on Wednesday in a statement 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 have been authorised to speak publicly on behalf of the council. They are the Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who retains his position as the official spokesperson; and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

The development followed Hassan’s appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Tuesday night, where he was discussing the achievements of the Tinubu administration.

During the interview, Hassan identified Nigeria’s 112 emergency line as one of the administration’s major accomplishments, explaining that citizens could use the number to seek assistance during medical emergencies, security threats, road accidents and other distress situations.

To demonstrate its effectiveness, he challenged the programme’s presenter, Seun Okinbaloye, to dial the number during the live broadcast.

Hassan confidently maintained that the service would connect callers to emergency response operators, drawing comparisons with the 911 emergency system in the United States.

However, the demonstration took an unexpected turn when Okinbaloye repeatedly attempted to call 112 without success.

The presenter subsequently declared that the number was not working, while Hassan insisted that the service was operational and suggested that a network problem might have caused the failed connection.

Okinbaloye, however, questioned the explanation, pointing out that other telephone calls were connecting successfully from the same location. He also disclosed that viewers were sending messages indicating that they equally experienced difficulties reaching the emergency line.

The incident generated widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians criticising Hassan and questioning the government’s claims about the functionality of the emergency response system.

Following the controversy, Gbajabiamila announced changes to the campaign council’s media and strategic communications structure, explaining that the decision was intended to promote more coordinated, disciplined and effective public engagement.

Apart from Hassan, Ayobami Oyalowo, Kemi Asekun-Shittu and Adamu Fanda were also removed from their previously announced spokesperson positions and reassigned as ordinary members of the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.

The latest development comes weeks after Hassan attracted another controversy during a separate television appearance, where he alleged that some ministers paid billions of naira to secure appointments in President Tinubu’s administration.

The failed demonstration has also renewed public concerns about the reliability of Nigeria’s emergency response infrastructure, particularly the ability of citizens to access immediate assistance when faced with life-threatening situations.

Although the Federal Government has approved 112 as the country’s universal toll-free emergency number, efforts are still ongoing to achieve coordinated nationwide operations, with Hassan previously indicating that full alignment of emergency response centres was expected by March 2027.