Cyril Mbah, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), has said President Bola Tinubu’s campaign pledge on electricity has been met and that his commitment to explain any shortfall before seeking a second term must be considered in its full context.
The council was reacting to recent public commentary that reproduced part of Tinubu’s 2023 campaign statement where he promised to end estimated billing and ensure stable electricity supply within the first twrm of his administration.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Dele Alake, on Sunday, November 1, 2026, the council recalled Tinubu’s exact words at a meeting with the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 elections.
Quoting the President, Alake said: “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.”
Alake said some commentaries had reproduced the pledge without its concluding qualification that the President would owe Nigerians adequate explanation before seeking support for a second term, adding that a fair assessment should consider the full statement alongside the administration’s record.
He said while fixing the power sector remains unfinished work, President Tinubu has shown consistent commitment to delivering on his promise since assuming office in 2023.
According to him, within two weeks in office, Tinubu signed the Electricity Act, 2023 on June 9, liberalising the sector and moving it away from the Exclusive List to allow states to participate in power generation, distribution and transmission, with Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger already setting up regulatory agencies.
The campaign council also said the President took on over N6 trillion legacy debt accumulated from 2015 to 2025, launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to close the over 7 million metering gap, aligned tariffs to cost to restore market liquidity, and created a system to protect low-income households.
Alake disclosed that over 1.5 million customers have been metered in the last three years under the initiative, while the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has connected universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power, and plans are underway to modernise the 60-year-old Osogbo Grid Control Centre and build an East-West super grid.
He added that the administration created a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts to 21 power generating companies and gas companies, with the first and second tranches raising over N1.2 trillion, a move that has enabled firms like Geregu Power Plc to invest in new transformers.
The statement further noted that Tinubu reviewed and accelerated the Presidential Power Initiative started by former President Muhammadu Buhari, signing an Acceleration Agreement in December 2023, with the Federal Executive Council approving contracts for upgrading transmission substations in 2024 and for eight new substations and four upgrades in June 2026.
Alake said the administration introduced Service Bands with different tariffs to improve the financial viability of distribution companies and reduce the government subsidy burden, while exploring ways to balance cost-reflective tariffs with affordability.
He concluded that President Tinubu has not deviated from his commitment and will present his scorecard in the power sector and outline what remains to be done as he seeks a second term.
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