Tinubu Has Not Abandoned Electricity Promise, APC Insists
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has reaffirmed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to fulfilling his campaign promises on electricity, insisting that his administration is making consistent efforts to address Nigeria’s longstanding power sector challenges.
The council said the President’s 2023 campaign pledge to end estimated billing and ensure reliable electricity supply should be assessed in its full context, including his commitment to provide Nigerians with adequate explanations for any unfulfilled promises before seeking a second term.
In a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, the council recalled Tinubu’s remarks during a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections.
At the meeting, Tinubu had promised that Nigerians would have access to electricity without paying estimated bills, adding that voters should hold him accountable if he failed to deliver on the commitment.
The campaign council argued that some recent public commentaries had quoted the President’s pledge without including his concluding qualification that he would provide adequate reasons for any shortcomings.
Defending the administration’s record, the council highlighted the signing of the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, shortly after Tinubu assumed office, describing the legislation as a major step towards liberalising and decentralising Nigeria’s electricity sector.
It noted that states, including Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger, had begun taking advantage of the law by establishing electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment into the sector.
The council also said the administration inherited more than N6 trillion in accumulated legacy debts between 2015 and 2025 and had introduced measures to address the financial challenges confronting the electricity market.
According to the statement, the government launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to bridge a metering gap of over seven million customers, adding that more than 1.5 million electricity consumers had been metered under the programme in the last three years.
It further disclosed that the administration established a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 electricity generation companies and gas companies, with the first and second tranches raising over N1.2 trillion.
The council maintained that the intervention had helped restore confidence in the electricity market and encouraged 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 statement said the Tinubu administration had accelerated the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the previous administration through an agreement signed with German partners in December 2023.
It added that the Federal Executive Council approved the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations for upgrading in December 2024, while another set of projects involving the construction of eight new substations and upgrading of four existing ones received approval in June 2026.
The council also highlighted the Rural Electrification Agency’s efforts to connect universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power, alongside plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre and construct an East-West super grid.
On electricity tariffs, the APC campaign council said the administration had introduced service-based tariff bands to improve the financial sustainability of distribution companies and strengthen cash flow in the sector.
It, however, acknowledged the need to balance cost-reflective electricity tariffs with affordability, particularly for low-income households, assuring that the government would continue exploring measures to protect vulnerable Nigerians.
The council admitted that fixing Nigeria’s electricity sector remained an ongoing challenge but insisted that Tinubu had not abandoned his campaign commitment.
It said the President would present his administration’s achievements in the power sector and explain outstanding challenges to Nigerians as he seeks a second term in office.
