In what appears to avoid faux pax by spokespersons for the APC Presidential Campaign, a major shake-up aimed at sharpening its public strategy and curtailing fragmented messaging, has been announced.
On Tuesday night on Channels TV “Politics Today,” Nigeria’s emergency number, 112, promoted by Alwan Hassan, a spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, failed to connect when it was tested live on television drawing thousands jeers against the ruling party.
Though the party did not reference that fallout, analysts have fingered that as one major reason for the trimming down of the spokespersons to just three.
Going forward, the council has restricted all official communication to the Campaign’s Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari; the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, who serves as the official Spokesperson; and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris.
The strategic directive was announced in a press statement issued by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President and the Council’s Deputy Director-General (Administration).
According to Gbajabiamila, the reorganization was carried out “to ensure more cohesive, disciplined, and effective public engagement.”
The decision puts an immediate end to the previously broad roster of campaign media representatives.
All individuals who were previously authorized to speak on behalf of the council have been reassigned as general members within the Directorate of Media and Strategic Communications.
To prevent unauthorized appearances or conflicting statements, the campaign council advised broadcast media outlets, including radio and television stations, to update their booking protocols immediately.
Moving forward, the council emphasized that additional individuals will only be cleared for media appearances on a case-by-case basis as designated by leadership.
