APC Campaign Defends Tinubu on Electricity Promise, Says Results Coming Soon

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has responded to President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 promise to put an end to estimated electricity billing. They say this promise should be looked at along with the government’s record in the power sector and the conditions he set before the 2023 presidential election.

Dele Alake, the spokesperson for the Council, made this known in a statement on Sunday. He was replying to public complaints about the president’s electricity promise.

Mr Alake pointed out that some comments missed an important part of Mr Tinubu’s promise. The president said he would give Nigerians valid reasons if his government did not meet the commitment on estimated billing before the next election.

While speaking to members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos before the 2023 elections, Mr Tinubu promised to tackle Nigeria’s electricity issues, especially the problem of estimated billing, which he called a burden for households and businesses.

“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,” he stated.

He added that Nigerians should not vote him back if he did not keep this promise unless he gave them good reasons for not doing so. Mr Alake said that to judge this promise fairly, one must consider the full statement and what the administration has done since it started in May 2023.

He admitted that Nigeria’s electricity problems are still being worked on but insisted that Mr Tinubu has been trying to keep his promise. Defending the government's record, Mr Alake highlighted the Electricity Act 2023, the Presidential Metering Initiative, efforts to clear debts in the power sector, and investments in transmission infrastructure as signs of progress.

He noted that Mr Tinubu signed the Electricity Act on 9 June 2023, just two weeks after taking office. He called it an important step toward opening up the electricity market.

The law allows state governments to create their own rules for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. This means the sector won't be entirely controlled by the federal government.

According to Mr Alake, states like Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna, and Niger have set up electricity regulatory agencies and attracted private investments due to this new law.

He also mentioned that the administration took over more than ₦6 trillion in debts from 2015 to 2025 and has started measures to solve the financial issues in the sector. This includes the Presidential Metering Initiative aimed at fixing a metering gap of over seven million customers.

Mr Alake reported that over 1.5 million electricity customers have been metered in the last three years under this initiative. He added that the government launched a ₦4 trillion bond program to pay off verified debts owed to 21 electricity generation companies (GenCos) and gas companies (GasCos).

He said that the first two parts of the program raised over ₦1.2 trillion to help settle some of these debts. Mr Alake mentioned that this intervention has helped bring back confidence in the electricity market and encouraged new investments from power generation companies.

He pointed to Geregu Power Plc’s recent announcement of new investments in power transformers for its Geregu 1 Power Plant as an example of the growing investments in the sector. The APC spokesperson also defended the government’s adjustments to electricity tariffs, saying they were necessary to make distribution companies financially stable.

He explained that the government introduced different electricity service bands to help with revenue collection and lessen the financial load of electricity subsidies. But he stressed that the administration is looking for ways to balance the need for fair tariffs with affordable electricity for low-income families.

On infrastructure, Mr Alake said the government is continuing projects under the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), which was started by the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

“President Tinubu inherited many power-sector initiatives, including the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), which his predecessor, late President Muhammadu Buhari, started,” he said.

He noted that Mr Tinubu reviewed the existing agreements and signed a new agreement with German partners in December 2023 to speed up efforts to improve the national transmission grid.

He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved contracts in December 2024 for the first group of five Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) substations in key electricity load areas. He stated that these projects are nearing completion and should be launched before the end of this administration’s first term.

Mr Alake also shared that FEC approved more projects in June 2026. This includes building eight new substations and upgrading four existing ones. He mentioned plans to modernize the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which is over 60 years old, and construct an East-West super grid.

Besides grid projects, he said the Rural Electrification Agency has connected universities, hospitals, and rural communities to solar power. Mr Alake argued that investments in the power sector take time, especially since some equipment for major projects takes long to deliver.

He assured that the administration remains committed to tackling Nigeria’s electricity problems. “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,” he said.