The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has assured Nigerians that President Bola Tinubu remains committed to fulfilling his campaign promise of ensuring stable and reliable electricity supply. In a statement issued on Sunday by its spokesperson and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, the council urged Nigerians to assess Tinubu's electricity pledge in full context. This includes his promise to explain any failure to deliver before seeking re-election. Tinubu had promised to ensure stable electricity supply across the country during the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu had challenged Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to fulfil the pledge without providing satisfactory reasons for his inability to do so. More than three years after assuming office, electricity supply remains unstable in many parts of the country. Consequently, opposition figures have seized on the persistent power crisis to criticise Tinubu's administration ahead of the 2027 general elections. They have urged Nigerians to hold the President accountable for his campaign promise by rejecting his bid for a second term.
The APC PCC said Tinubu had taken deliberate steps to address longstanding challenges in the power sector. The council urged Nigerians to consider his pledge to explain any failure to deliver before seeking re-election. Alake said Tinubu had identified estimated billing as a major challenge facing households and businesses and pledged to address it alongside other problems in the power sector. This was to ensure stable and reliable electricity supply.
The APC PCC disclosed that Tinubu had signed the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, within two weeks in office. The new Electricity Act effectively liberalised and deregulated the power sector, moving it away from the Exclusive List. This allowed states to participate in power generation, distribution, and transmission. Several states have started taking advantage of the law to maximise its benefits by setting up their own electricity regulatory agencies and driving private capital into their states.
The Tinubu administration had taken responsibility for over N6tn in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025. The government launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to address the country's metering gap of more than seven million customers. Over 1.5 million customers had been metered under the initiative in the last three years. The Rural Electrification Agency had connected universities, hospitals, and rural communities to solar power.
The administration established a N4tn bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 power-generating companies and gas companies. The first and second tranches of the bond programme have raised over N1.2 trillion to settle part of the N4 trillion verified legacy debt. President Tinubu has repositioned the power sector and reduced market risk for future investment.
The impact of the administration's intervention is becoming evident in Gencos' ability to make new investments to upgrade power plants. Geregu Power Plc announced investments in new power transformers to enhance operations at the Geregu 1 Power Plant. Other firms are making similar investments. President Tinubu inherited many power-sector initiatives, including the Presidential Power Initiative, which his predecessor, the late President Muhammadu Buhari, started.
Key points
- President Tinubu remains committed to fulfilling his campaign promise of ensuring stable and reliable electricity supply.
- The APC PCC urges Nigerians to assess Tinubu's electricity pledge in full context.
- The administration has taken deliberate steps to address longstanding challenges in the power sector.
