Amid renewed scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promise to end estimated electricity billing and guarantee stable power supply, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has pushed back against criticisms, insisting that his remarks have been misrepresented and that his administration has taken significant steps to address Nigeria’s longstanding electricity crisis.
The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said in a statement on Sunday that Tinubu made the pledge during an engagement with members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to Alake, the then presidential candidate was outlining his plans to tackle deep-rooted problems in the power sector, particularly the unfair burden of estimated billing on households and businesses.
He argued that recent interpretations of Tinubu’s remarks had overlooked an important qualification: the president had also undertaken to explain to Nigerians any obstacles that prevented him from fulfilling the promise before asking for a second term.
Alake maintained that the pledge should not be considered in isolation but assessed against the policies, investments and reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration since taking office in May 2023.
He pointed to the Electricity Act 2023, which Tinubu signed on June 9, less than two weeks after assuming office, as one of the administration’s early interventions. The legislation opened up the electricity market by allowing state governments to participate in power generation, transmission and distribution.
The APC spokesperson identified Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger as some of the states that have established regulatory agencies to take advantage of the new framework and attract private investment into the sector.
On the persistent challenge of estimated billing, Alake said the government launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to bridge a deficit of more than seven million unmetered electricity customers. He added that over 1.5 million customers had received meters through the programme in the past three years.
He also highlighted efforts to address the sector’s mounting financial liabilities, which he put at more than ₦6 trillion in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025.
To tackle the obligations, the administration introduced a ₦4 trillion bond programme aimed at settling verified debts owed to power generation companies and gas suppliers. Alake said the first and second phases had raised more than ₦1.2 trillion towards payments to 21 generation companies and gas suppliers.
Beyond financial interventions, he listed investments in substations, transmission infrastructure, grid expansion and renewable energy as part of the government’s broader strategy to improve electricity delivery.
He said the Rural Electrification Agency had extended solar-powered electricity to universities, hospitals and rural communities, while plans were also underway to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre and build an East-West super grid.
On the transmission network, Alake said the administration had reviewed the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the late President Muhammadu Buhari and reached an acceleration agreement with its German partners in December 2023.
He further disclosed that the Federal Executive Council approved the first set of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations for upgrades in December 2024. Another round of approvals followed in June 2026, covering the construction of eight new substations and the upgrade of four existing facilities.
The council also cited the introduction of electricity service bands and adjustments to tariffs towards cost-reflective levels as measures intended to strengthen the finances of distribution companies. Alake said safeguards had also been introduced to cushion the impact of tariff changes on low-income households.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s electricity challenges remained unresolved, the APC spokesperson insisted that the administration was making progress and had not abandoned Tinubu’s campaign commitment.
He said the president would present his administration’s achievements in the power sector to Nigerians as he seeks another term, while also explaining the outstanding challenges and the work still required to deliver on the promise.
