The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has defended President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 promise to improve electricity supply, saying the pledge came with a commitment to explain any shortfall before asking Nigerians for a second term.
In a statement on Sunday, signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, the council said recent commentary had quoted the promise without the qualification Tinubu attached to it at a meeting with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general election.
Speaking then as the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu had promised to tackle estimated billing and other problems in the sector.
“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,” he said.
Alake said the closing part of that statement was key to a fair assessment, arguing that Tinubu had undertaken to give Nigerians adequate reasons if he fell short. He said the pledge should be judged in full context and against the administration’s record in the power sector.
The council admitted that the power sector crisis had not been fully resolved, but said the government had introduced reforms and begun projects to improve electricity supply, metering, infrastructure and market stability.
Electricity Act
It pointed to the Electricity Act 2023, signed on June 9, less than two weeks after Tinubu took office. The law allows states to participate in power generation, transmission and distribution.
According to the council, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger have since set up their own electricity regulatory agencies and attracted private investment.
Metering
The statement also cited the Presidential Metering Initiative, introduced to close a metering gap of more than seven million customers. The council said over 1.5 million customers had been metered under the programme in the last three years.
Debts and tariffs
On the sector’s finances, the council said Tinubu inherited legacy debts of more than N6 trillion accumulated between 2015 and 2025.
It said the administration introduced a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified debts owed to 21 power generation and gas companies, with the first two tranches raising over N1.2 trillion.
The government has also aligned electricity tariffs more closely with the cost of supply to improve market liquidity, while putting measures in place to protect low-income households, the council added.
Transmission projects
On infrastructure, the council said Tinubu retained the Presidential Power Initiative, which started under former President Muhammadu Buhari. It said he reviewed the existing agreement and signed an acceleration agreement with the German partners in December 2023 to speed up work on the transmission grid.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved contracts in December 2024 for the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations in major load centres to be upgraded. The council said the projects were being completed and would be commissioned before the end of Tinubu’s first term.
In June 2026, FEC approved another batch covering the construction of eight substations and the upgrade of four existing ones.
The government also plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which the council said was built more than 60 years ago, and to build an East-West super grid.
The council further cited Geregu Power Plc’s announced investment in new power transformers for its Geregu 1 Power Plant as evidence that the interventions were attracting fresh investment.
It said the administration would keep addressing the commercial challenges of the electricity market, balancing cost-reflective tariffs with affordability for households.
“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,” the council said.
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