The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has acknowledged that President Bola Tinubu has yet to fulfil his promise of delivering stable electricity across Nigeria, describing the effort as work in progress.
The council, however, defended the administration’s record, insisting that the President remained committed to addressing the country’s electricity challenges despite longstanding structural and financial problems in the power sector.
The position followed fresh criticism from former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who accused the Federal Government of making excuses while households and businesses continued to experience unreliable electricity supply.
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, said Nigerians were tired of government explanations as electricity consumers continued to pay high tariffs without receiving commensurate service.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his senior media aide, Phrank Shuaibu, Atiku said, “Tinubu’s electricity excuses cannot light a single home,” urging the Federal Government to stop playing politics with the power sector.
He also questioned the government’s plan to phase out electricity subsidies from 2027, demanding clarification on how the proposed policy would affect consumers’ bills.
Atiku argued that households and businesses were already struggling with high electricity costs despite persistent power outages.
“No family should have to weigh the cost of electricity against the cost of food. No business should be left to pay more while receiving less,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, APC-PCC spokesperson Dele Alake said Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise should be considered alongside the qualification attached to it and the interventions undertaken by the administration.
In a statement titled Tinubu’s Electricity Pledge Must Be Considered in Full Context, Alake acknowledged that fixing the power sector remained unfinished business, more than three years after Tinubu assumed office.
During a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections, Tinubu had promised to end estimated billing and ensure stable electricity supply.
“Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept,” the President had said.
Alake said the administration had initiated measures to address structural, institutional and financial challenges that had affected the sector for decades.
He cited the Electricity Act 2023, signed by Tinubu on June 9, 2023, which opened up electricity generation, transmission and distribution to state governments.
According to him, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger states had begun establishing electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment into their power markets.
The APC spokesperson also said the administration inherited more than N6 trillion in accumulated legacy debts between 2015 and 2025, adding that a N4 trillion bond programme had been introduced to settle verified liabilities owed to electricity generation and gas companies.
He said the first and second tranches of the programme had raised more than N1.2 trillion towards settling the debts.
On metering, Alake disclosed that the Presidential Metering Initiative had facilitated the distribution of more than 1.5 million meters to consumers in the last three years.
He also highlighted the Rural Electrification Agency’s solar-powered projects for universities, hospitals and rural communities.
Other interventions, according to him, included efforts to accelerate the Presidential Power Initiative through an agreement with German partners in December 2023 and transmission infrastructure projects approved by the Federal Executive Council.
Alake said contracts for five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations were approved in December 2024, with the projects nearing completion and expected to be commissioned before the end of Tinubu’s first term.
He added that another batch of projects approved in June 2026 involved the construction of eight new substations and the upgrade of four existing facilities.
The spokesperson maintained that power infrastructure projects required specialised equipment and time to complete, arguing that the challenges could not be resolved overnight.
He also cited planned investments by Geregu Power Plc, including the acquisition of new transformers for its Geregu 1 Power Plant, as evidence of improving confidence in the electricity market.
Alake said the government recognised the need to balance cost-reflective tariffs with affordable electricity for consumers.
“Fixing the electricity market and power sector is ongoing work,” he said, adding that Tinubu would present his administration’s record, including outstanding challenges, to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.
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