…Atiku accuses APC of defending Tinubu’s unfulfilled electricity promises
By Seun Ibiyemi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended President Bola Tinubu’s performance in the power sector, insisting that his administration is making progress towards fulfilling his 2023 campaign promise to end estimated billing and ensure stable electricity supply.
The party said the President’s record should be assessed against measurable improvements in electricity supply, metering, infrastructure development and electricity market stability, rather than campaign statements reproduced without their full context.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and signed by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, the party recalled Tinubu’s meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections.
At the meeting, Tinubu had promised to address estimated billing and other longstanding challenges in the power sector, declaring: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore.”
He also pledged that if he failed to deliver, Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term unless he provided adequate reasons for his inability to fulfil the promise.
The APC spokesperson argued that some public commentary had reproduced the pledge without its concluding qualification, which he said should form part of a fair assessment of the President’s commitment.
Alake acknowledged that fixing Nigeria’s electricity crisis remained unfinished business but maintained that Tinubu had continued to address the challenges since assuming office in May 2023.
He cited the signing of the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, less than two weeks after Tinubu assumed office, as one of the administration’s major interventions.
According to him, the legislation liberalised the electricity sector by allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, moving the sector away from exclusive federal control.
He listed Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger as states that had begun taking advantage of the law by establishing their own electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment.
The APC also said the Tinubu administration had taken steps to address more than N6 trillion in legacy debts accumulated in the power sector between 2015 and 2025.
It further highlighted the Presidential Metering Initiative, introduced to address a metering gap of more than seven million customers.
Alake said more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the initiative in the last three years.
He added that the administration had aligned electricity tariffs more closely with cost-reflective levels to improve liquidity in the market, while putting measures in place to protect low-income households.
On infrastructure, the party said investments in substations and grid expansion were continuing, while the Rural Electrification Agency had connected universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power.
It also cited government plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which it said was built more than 60 years ago, and construct an East-West super grid.
The statement further disclosed that the administration had established a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 electricity generation companies (GenCos) and gas companies (GasCos).
According to Alake, the first and second tranches of the programme had raised more than N1.2 trillion to settle part of the verified debt.
He argued that the intervention had helped reduce market risks and improve the investment environment, pointing to recent investments by power generation companies in upgrading their facilities.
As an example, he cited Geregu Power Plc’s recent announcement of investments in new power transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant.
On the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), which was initiated under former President Muhammadu Buhari, Alake said Tinubu reviewed the existing agreement and signed an Acceleration Agreement with the German partners in December 2023 to speed up projects targeting the transmission network.
He said the Federal Executive Council approved contracts in December 2024 for the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations in key load centres to be upgraded to improve electricity supply to industrial and private consumers.
The projects, according to the statement, are being completed and are expected to be commissioned before the end of the administration’s first term.
Alake also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council approved another batch of projects in June 2026, covering the construction of eight new substations and the upgrade of four existing facilities in targeted load centres.
He said power infrastructure projects required long-lead equipment and could not be completed overnight.
On electricity tariffs, the APC spokesperson said Tinubu had recognised the need to balance the financial sustainability of distribution companies with consumers’ ability to afford electricity.
He said the introduction of service bands with different tariffs was intended to improve the financial position of distribution companies, strengthen cash flow across the market and reduce the government’s burden of electricity subsidies.
The administration, he added, would continue to explore measures to improve the commercial viability of the sector while protecting access to electricity for vulnerable households.
“Fixing the electricity market and power sector is ongoing work,” Alake said, insisting that Tinubu had not abandoned his commitment.
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He said the President would present his power-sector scorecard to Nigerians as he seeks a second term, explaining what the administration had achieved and what remained to be done.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of attempting to divert attention from President Bola Tinubu’s unfulfilled electricity promises through what he described as bureaucratic explanations and administrative excuses.
Atiku, in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, said the administration’s references to laws, committees, bonds and projects had failed to address the persistent power challenges facing Nigerian households and businesses.
He argued that three and a half years into the administration, families continued to contend with unreliable electricity supply, while traders and small business owners spent scarce resources on alternative energy to sustain their operations.
The former Vice President also criticised the electricity tariff structure, noting that consumers across Bands A to E faced high charges despite persistent power outages.
He cited the Band A tariff of approximately ₦209.50 per kilowatt-hour before Value Added Tax (VAT), arguing that consumers were being burdened with steep bills despite not receiving consistent electricity supply.
Atiku further questioned the planned removal of electricity subsidies by 2027, demanding clarity on how the proposed policy would affect households already grappling with the high cost of living.
He also faulted provisions in the Nigeria Tax Act relating to a potential five per cent surcharge on fossil fuels, describing additional energy-related charges on struggling Nigerians as insensitive.
Recalling Tinubu’s 2022 presidential campaign pledge, when the then-presidential candidate challenged Nigerians not to vote for him if he failed to provide constant electricity within four years, Atiku said the stipulated period had elapsed without the promise being fulfilled.
He also dismissed the administration’s multi-trillion-naira bond programme for settling legacy debts in the power sector, arguing that clearing outstanding obligations was not a substitute for investing in new electricity generation infrastructure.
According to him, settling old debts does not automatically translate into electricity delivered to homes and businesses.
Atiku maintained that Nigerians could not cook, study or sustain their livelihoods on government announcements and policy documents, urging Tinubu to take direct responsibility for his campaign commitments rather than relying on political surrogates to explain them.
