The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has defended President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to providing Nigerians with stable and reliable electricity, insisting that his campaign promise remains a priority despite persistent challenges in the power sector. In a statement released on Sunday, the council’s spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, urged Nigerians to consider the President’s full 2023 campaign pledge, including his promise to offer an adequate explanation if he failed to deliver before seeking re-election.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, Tinubu promised to ensure reliable electricity across the country and challenged Nigerians not to vote for him for a second term if he failed to fulfil the commitment without providing satisfactory reasons. However, more than three years into his administration, unstable power supply remains a major concern. Opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, have cited the situation as evidence of the government’s failure, urging voters to hold the President accountable ahead of the 2027 general elections. Alake argued that the pledge should be assessed alongside the administration’s efforts and measurable progress in electricity supply, metering, infrastructure and market stability.
The campaign council highlighted the Electricity Act, 2023, which Tinubu signed on June 9, shortly after assuming office, as one of the administration’s major reforms. According to Alake, the law opened up the power sector by allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution. He noted that states such as Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger had begun establishing regulatory agencies and attracting private investment. The council also said the government had taken responsibility for more than N6tn in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025 and introduced the Presidential Metering Initiative to address a nationwide shortfall of over seven million meters. It claimed that more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the program in the past three years.
Alake further listed the administration’s N4tn bond program aimed at settling verified debts owed to 21 electricity generation and gas companies, adding that the first two phases had raised over N1.2tn. He said the government was also supporting rural electrification through solar projects for universities, hospitals and communities. Other initiatives include plans to modernize the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, develop an East-West super grid and upgrade existing transmission infrastructure. The council also referenced the Presidential Power Initiative, which began under former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Tinubu’s administration reviewed the agreement and signed an acceleration deal with German partners in December 2023. It added that contracts had been approved for the construction and upgrade of substations to strengthen electricity distribution across key areas.
The APC PCC acknowledged that resolving Nigeria’s electricity crisis remained a work in progress, explaining that the sector required financial reforms capable of attracting investment while keeping electricity affordable for ordinary Nigerians. It defended the introduction of different electricity tariff bands as part of efforts to improve the financial position of distribution companies and reduce the government’s subsidy burden, while maintaining protections for vulnerable consumers. The council insisted that the administration was working to address longstanding challenges and said Tinubu would present his achievements, as well as the issues yet to be resolved, to Nigerians as he seeks a second term in 2027.
