CCT spokesman apologises over error-filled statement, says it was leaked

Ibraheem Alhassan, spokesperson of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), has apologised for releasing a poorly written statement in the wake of the altercation involving Danladi Umar, chairman of the CCT.

Umar was caught on video hitting a security man who had told him his vehicle was parked in the wrong space at a plaza in Abuja.

In his defence, Ibraheem Al-Hassan, CCT spokesperson, said the guard was rude and could not provide a reasonable explanation why Umar should not park in the said space.

The official statement issued by Al-Hassan to defend his principal was littered with grammatical blunders and ethnic slurs.

After receiving backlash for ethnicising the situation, Al-Hassan claimed it was the CCT chairman who asked him to use “Biafran boys” in the statement.

In another statement on Sunday, the spokesman described the error-ridden statement as an “unedited draft” that had not received authorisation.

He said it was leaked by one of his colleagues, who has now apologised to him.

“The incident of March 29, 2021, which became public via a viral video clip caused very strong emotional sensations, pressure and worries that also got to us and impaired our response to it,” he said.

“The disturbance led to the release of the draft and unedited script to three professional colleagues of mine.

“But unfortunately, the statement found its way to the public space through one of them, in its raw form. The colleague in question has since apologised to me and I have accepted the apology in good fate.

“I feel embarrassed and disappointed with criticism trailing the leaked draft statement which has been described as riddled with grammatical blunders and ethnic slur due to the poor presentation.

“As a civil servant, I relate with Nigerians with respect and dignity, not minding their religious or ethnic backgrounds.

“I wish to therefore tender my unreserved apology to Nigerians and especially the Federal Ministry of Information & Culture, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), the Nigerian Institution of Public Relations (NIPR), and the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) among others over the unsavoury development.”