Tinubu Has Not Failed On Electricity Promise – APC Campaign Council Insists

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has defended President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promise to end estimated electricity billing and ensure stable power supply, insisting that his administration remains committed to fulfilling the pledge.

The council said the President’s electricity promise must be assessed in its full context, including his commitment to provide Nigerians with an adequate explanation if he failed to deliver before seeking re-election.

In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, the council argued that recent public discussions had quoted Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise without including the concluding part in which he pledged to explain any failure to meet the target.

At a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections, Tinubu had promised to address the country’s electricity challenges and end estimated billing.

He had declared: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore.”

He also challenged Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to fulfil the promise without providing adequate reasons.

However, the APC campaign council maintained that the administration had taken significant steps to reform the power sector since assuming office in May 2023.

According to the statement, Tinubu signed the Electricity Act 2023 on June 9, barely two weeks after taking office, effectively allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

It listed Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger among the states that have taken advantage of the legislation by establishing electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment.

The council also disclosed that the administration had inherited more than N6 trillion in accumulated legacy debts in the power sector between 2015 and 2025.

It said the government introduced the Presidential Metering Initiative to address the country’s metering deficit of more than seven million customers, adding that over 1.5 million electricity consumers had been metered under the programme in the last three years.

The statement further highlighted the administration’s N4 trillion bond programme designed to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 power generation companies and gas suppliers.

It said the first and second tranches of the programme had raised more than N1.2 trillion to settle part of the outstanding obligations.

According to the council, the intervention is already encouraging fresh investments by power generation companies, citing Geregu Power Plc’s recent investment in new transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant.

On infrastructure development, the APC campaign council said the Tinubu administration had accelerated the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from former President Muhammadu Buhari.

It explained that Tinubu reviewed the existing agreement with German partners and signed an Acceleration Agreement in December 2023 to speed up projects aimed at improving the national transmission grid.

The Federal Executive Council subsequently approved the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations for upgrading in December 2024.

The council said the projects were nearing completion and would be commissioned before the end of the administration’s first term.

It added that the Federal Executive Council approved another phase of the project in June 2026, involving the construction of eight new substations and the upgrading of four existing facilities.

On electricity tariffs, the council defended the administration’s decision to move towards cost-reflective pricing, arguing that the policy was necessary to improve liquidity and financial stability in the electricity market.

It said the government introduced different electricity service bands to strengthen the financial position of distribution companies, improve cash flow and reduce the burden of subsidies on public finances.

However, it maintained that measures were being taken to protect low-income households and ensure electricity remained affordable for vulnerable Nigerians.

The statement also identified rural electrification projects, including the connection of universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power through the Rural Electrification Agency, as part of the administration’s achievements.

It further disclosed plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which it said was more than 60 years old, as well as construct an East-West super grid.

Despite the interventions, the council acknowledged that resolving Nigeria’s electricity crisis remained an ongoing process, noting that power infrastructure projects required long-lead equipment and could not be completed overnight.

It insisted that Tinubu had remained committed to his campaign pledge and would present his administration’s achievements and outstanding challenges in the power sector to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“As he seeks Nigerians’ mandate for a second term in office, he will proudly present his scorecard in the power sector and clearly tell Nigerians what remains to be done,” Alake said.