The All Progressives Congress (APC)- Presidential Campaign Council(APC-PCC) yesterday said President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 ”you will have electricity ” campaign promise to Nigerians was being taken out of context especially by political opponents.
The council explained in a statement by its spokesperson Dele Alake that the deliberate steps taken by the President to end longstanding hiccups in the power sector were testaments to his determination to keep to the promise.
Alake who is also the Solid Minerals Development minister listed liberalisation of the sector metering infrastructure and market stability as some of the interventions by the Tinubu administration.
He therefore enjoined the Nigerian public and political commentators to evaluate the promise in full context and against the backdrop of the structural achievements over the past three years.
But shortly after the admonition African Democratic Party Congress(APC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar faulted Alake saying Nigerians have continued to contend with outages rising tariffs and high cost of alternative power supply.
Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi and the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate Seyi Makinde had also capitalised on recurring power outages to flay Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The president had while meeting with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos as APC candidate for the 2023 poll said: ‘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. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term don’t vote for me unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.’
Clarifying the comment Alake argued that recent public debates deliberately omitted the President’s explicit qualification-that he would present a clear account of his performance and reasons for any outstanding challenges before seeking a mandate for a second term.
‘A fair assessment of the pledge should consider the full statement alongside the administration’s record since 2023. This record should be assessed against measurable improvements in electricity supply metering infrastructure and market stability’ Alake stated.
‘While fixing the power sector crisis remains unfinished the President is working consistently to deliver on his promise to Nigerians and his commitment to face the challenges head-on has never diminished.’
Highlighting policy milestones the APC- PCC spokesperson recalled that the President signed the Electricity Act (2023) within two weeks of assuming office effectively liberalising the sector and empowering subnational governments to generate transmit and distribute power.
States like Lagos Enugu Abia Ekiti Oyo Kaduna and Niger have since established state regulatory bodies to attract private capital.
On financial interventions and legacy obligations Alake said that the Tinubu administration has tackled over N6 trillion in accumulated legacy debts from 2015-2025 by establishing a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified debts owed to 21 Power Generating Companies (Gencos) and Gas Companies (GasCos).
The first two tranches of the bond scheme according to him have already raised over N1.2 trillion thereby improving cash flow and enabling operators like Geregu Power Plc to make fresh capital investments in transformer capacity and plant upgrades.
Alake also detailed progress under the Presidential Metering Initiative which has metered over 1.5 million customers to date in a bid to close the country’s 7 million metering gap. He added that the Rural Electrification Agency has continued to expand solar power installations across universities hospitals and rural communities.
On grid infrastructure the APC-PCC spokesman pointed to ongoing execution under the Siemens-backed Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) which was restructured under an Acceleration Agreement signed in December 2023.
Following Federal Executive Council approvals for substation upgrades across key industrial load centres the administration approved an additional batch of project contracts in June 2026 for eight new substations and four major upgrades.
Acknowledging the commercial delicate balance between cost-reflective tariffs and social protection Alake explained that the introduction of service bands has helped stabilise distribution companies financially while curbing federal tariff subsidies.
‘Fixing the electricity market and power sector is ongoing work’ he added. ‘President Tinubu has not deviated an inch from his commitment. 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.’
But the ADC presidential standard bearer Atiku challenged the Tinubu administration to demonstrate measurable improvements in electricity supply insisting that laws bonds and project announcements cannot substitute for reliable power.
Atiku through the Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) Phrank Shaibu argued that three and a half years after Tinubu promised steady electricity and an end to estimated billing households and businesses still struggle with erratic power supply and the financial burden of using alternative sources
He said: ‘The APC should spare Nigerians the spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness. After three and a half years families still struggle to keep their homes lit.
‘Traders and small business owners spend scarce resources on alternative power yet struggle to keep their businesses alive.
‘Nigerians are billed for electricity they cannot rely on. President Tinubu promised steady power and an end to estimated billing. That promise has not been kept.’
The former vice-president also criticised the electricity band system arguing that consumers pay different tariffs without corresponding improvements in supply.
Citing Band A tariffs of about ?209.50 per kilowatt-hour in many areas before value-added tax Atiku said electricity costs have become an additional burden for households and businesses.
‘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.
He called for clarity on the Federal Government’s plan to end electricity subsidies from 2027 questioning the implications for household and business bills.
Atiku proposed working with state governments and regulators to abolish the existing band system and introduce what he described as a fairer more affordable framework that would hold electricity companies accountable for the power they deliver.
He also faulted the Federal Government’s multitrillion-naira bond programme to settle legacy debts arguing that debt repayment should not be presented as an expansion of generation capacity.
‘Paying old debts is not the same as building new power infrastructure. Bonds cannot be presented as a substitute for power in people’s homes’ he said.
Atiku further alleged that the Tinubu administration had not built new electricity generation infrastructure of its own to expand the country’s power capacity.
He raised concerns about value-added tax on electricity and the five per cent surcharge provided for certain fossil fuels including petrol and diesel under the Nigeria Tax Act arguing that Nigerians needed clarity on the prospect of additional energy costs.
The ADC candidate maintained that policy changes and financial interventions should be judged by their impact on electricity supply.
‘Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered. Nigerians cannot cook study work or sustain a business on announcements’ he said.
Atiku argued that Nigerians ‘ do not need the APC-PCC to interpret the President’s words for them.”