Electricity: ADC-PCC Says Tinubu Has Failed His Own Test, Challenges APC Over 2023 Promise

Electricity: ADC-PCC Says Tinubu Has Failed His Own Test, Challenges APC Over 2023 Promise

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of failing to fulfil his 2023 campaign promise to provide Nigerians with reliable electricity, challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) to explain the administration’s performance in the power sector.

The opposition campaign council said the President should be held accountable for his declaration during the 2023 presidential campaign that Nigerians should not re-elect him if he failed to deliver adequate electricity.

The latest criticism followed comments by Dele Alake, spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, who defended Tinubu’s electricity record and argued that the President’s original campaign promise had been taken out of context.

In a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, and signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC insisted that Tinubu’s commitment was clear and should not be reinterpreted to avoid accountability.

The council recalled the President’s statement: “Don’t vote for me for second term if I fail to deliver electricity.”

According to the ADC-PCC, Nigerians continue to experience persistent blackouts, repeated national grid collapses, inadequate power supply and rising electricity costs more than three years after the pledge.

The ADC-PCC argued that the administration had instead presided over higher electricity bills, continued estimated billing and unreliable power supply, leaving households and businesses struggling with the cost of running their daily activities.

It also criticised the Band A, B and C electricity tariff classifications, arguing that consumers were paying higher rates without receiving reliable electricity in return.

The council claimed that some businesses, particularly hotels and other hospitality establishments, had resorted to rationing electricity by switching off power for guests during daytime hours to reduce operating expenses.

It further questioned the effectiveness of the Presidential Metering Initiative, alleging that its implementation had fallen short of expectations while electricity distribution companies continued to issue estimated bills to customers.

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Rejecting the APC’s reliance on legislative reforms and government financing arrangements to defend the administration, the opposition council said policies and financial interventions should be measured by their impact on electricity supply.

“An Act is not electricity. A bond prospectus does not power homes and factories. Nigerians cannot eat statutes. What Nigerians need is electricity that works, not another round of explanations and publicity,” the council stated.

The ADC-PCC maintained that Tinubu’s campaign commitment should be judged by whether Nigerians now enjoy stable and affordable electricity rather than announcements of government policies and projects.

It also challenged the APC to address the President’s original promise directly instead of attempting to explain away the commitment.

However, the APC Presidential Campaign Council rejected the suggestion that Tinubu had abandoned his electricity pledge, insisting that his 2023 statement must be considered in its full context.

In his response, Alake recalled that Tinubu had made the promise during an engagement with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general election.

According to him, the President had promised to provide electricity and end estimated billing, but also stated that Nigerians should not re-elect him if he failed to deliver unless he provided adequate reasons for the shortfall.

Alake argued that critics had deliberately omitted the concluding qualification when quoting the President’s remarks.

He maintained that Tinubu remained committed to improving electricity supply but acknowledged that resolving Nigeria’s longstanding power sector problems remained unfinished business.

The APC spokesman listed the Electricity Act 2023, the Presidential Metering Initiative, investments in transmission infrastructure and the settlement of outstanding debts in the electricity market among the administration’s interventions.

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He disclosed that more than 1.5 million electricity customers had been metered under the administration’s initiatives over the last three years.

Alake also cited the Federal Government’s N4 trillion bond programme designed to settle verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation and gas companies.

He said the administration had introduced reforms to improve the financial viability of electricity distribution companies while putting measures in place to protect low-income consumers.

The APC campaign council further maintained that the President would present his administration’s achievements and explain outstanding challenges to Nigerians as he seeks another term in office.

In a separate response to the APC’s defence, the ADC-PCC, through its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused the ruling party of celebrating policy documents and financial interventions without addressing the everyday electricity challenges facing Nigerians.

Shaibu argued that paying legacy debts owed to power generation companies was not the same as investing in new infrastructure to increase electricity generation.

He also questioned the administration’s proposed plan to end electricity subsidies from 2027, asking what the policy would mean for household and business electricity bills.

The opposition campaign council cited Band A electricity tariffs of about ₦209.50 per kilowatt-hour, before VAT, as an example of the financial burden on consumers.

It called for a review of the existing electricity band system and proposed a framework that would make electricity more affordable while holding distribution companies accountable for the quality of service delivered.

The council also raised concerns about VAT on electricity and the proposed five per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act.

The exchange has brought renewed attention to the performance of Nigeria’s electricity sector, which continues to face challenges involving inadequate generation capacity, transmission constraints, distribution inefficiencies, poor infrastructure and financial difficulties.

Although the Electricity Act 2023 introduced a framework allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, consumers continue to demand improvements in the reliability and affordability of power supply.

The disagreement between the two campaign councils therefore centres on whether the reforms and financial interventions introduced by the Tinubu administration amount to sufficient progress towards fulfilling the President’s 202

Electricity: ADC-PCC Says Tinubu Has Failed His Own Test, Challenges APC Over 2023 Promise