The North Central zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cautioned against campaign of calumny against the minister of state for FCT, Hajia Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, following the face-off between her security aides and security personnel at the national secretariat of the party.
Security details attached to the FCT minister of state and policemen attached to the APC national secretariat had reportedly engaged in a physical fight in which a cameraman with the Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA) was attacked for trying to take video shots of the duel at the party’s national secretariat.
But a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the North Central zonal youth leader of the party, Hon Zubair Aliyu, implored the minister not to let her image be tarnished by the smear campaign.
The statement signed by an aide to the zonal youth leader, Usman Faizah Musa, implored the media to be mindful of its reportage.
The statement noted: “Our attention has been drawn to different news publications by many media outlets about the scuffle between the security aides of the Minister of State for FCT, Hajia Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and the security personnel at the APC National Secretariat on Thursday 18th August 2023. The coming of the Minister of FCT State to the party secretariat was obviously at the invitation of APC National Vice Chairman, North Central and APC Zonal Youth Leader North Central for her appointment and inauguration as the Chairman of APC North Central Youth Campaign Advisory Council and that good intention was to support the youths in our party.
“We are very surprised to see the news in the media. We are urging the media to always have recourse to peaceful reportage and we are very hopeful that those publications are not politically motivated nor out to smear the Hon. Minister’s hard-earned reputation.
“The situation is already being handled by the leadership of the party and we are bound as part of our great party not to further speak on the matter but what we shall not allow is to point blames or accusing fingers at the Hon. Minister when what happened is still being investigated.
“We, therefore, urge the Hon. Minister of State of FCT, Hajia Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu to please, maintain her calm and not allow a stain on her track of sterling successes over the years. The task ahead is bigger than what we are seeing right now. And we understand that your proponents far outweigh your political detractors and as such, we should not allow the polity to be heated from within our home.”
