The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar have disagreed over President Bola Tinubu’s performance in the electricity sector, with both sides presenting contrasting positions on the administration’s reforms ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The disagreement followed renewed criticism of Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise to improve electricity supply and end estimated billing for Nigerian consumers.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council maintained that the President had taken steps to address longstanding challenges in the sector, arguing that his record should be assessed alongside the reforms and interventions introduced since he assumed office.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said the President remained committed to improving electricity supply and would present his administration’s achievements and outstanding challenges to Nigerians before seeking another term.
Alake recalled Tinubu’s campaign promise that Nigerians should not re-elect him if he failed to deliver stable electricity without providing satisfactory reasons.
He said the President’s pledge should be considered in its entirety, including his commitment to explain any failure to meet the target.
“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,” Alake said.
The campaign council cited the Electricity Act 2023 as one of the administration’s major interventions, noting that the legislation allows state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
It identified Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger as states that had established electricity regulatory agencies and were taking steps to attract private investment into their electricity markets.
The council also said the Federal Government had taken responsibility for more than ₦6tn in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025.
On metering, it disclosed that more than 1.5 million electricity customers had been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative over the past three years, while the programme was designed to address a national metering deficit exceeding seven million customers.
Alake further cited a ₦4tn bond programme established to settle verified legacy debts owed to power generation and gas companies. He said the first and second tranches had raised more than ₦1.2tn.
However, Atiku challenged the administration’s defence, insisting that policy announcements, legislation and debt repayment were not substitutes for reliable electricity supply.
In a statement issued through the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Nigerians deserved answers for the continued electricity shortages affecting homes and businesses.
“Nigerians have lived through those four years. They do not need his campaign council to interpret his words for them. They need him to answer for them,” Atiku said.
He also questioned the government’s reliance on bond programmes to settle debts in the power sector, arguing that clearing outstanding obligations did not necessarily increase electricity 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 added.
Atiku also criticised electricity tariffs and estimated billing, saying consumers continued to face high costs despite unreliable supply. He promised to work with state governments and regulators to introduce what he described as a fairer and more transparent tariff system if elected.
The disagreement has brought the electricity sector back into political debate ahead of the 2027 general election.
While the APC campaign council says the Tinubu administration has introduced structural reforms and investments to address the sector’s longstanding problems, the opposition insists that the reforms must translate into measurable improvements in electricity supply.
Nigeria’s electricity industry continues to face challenges involving generation capacity, gas supply, transmission infrastructure, distribution networks, metering and the financial obligations of operators.
The administration’s electricity performance is therefore expected to remain a major issue in the political debate as the 2027 presidential election approaches.
