The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise to end estimated electricity billing and improve power supply, insisting that the commitment must be assessed within the full context of his statement and the administration’s record since assuming office.
In a statement issued on November 1, 2026, the Council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said the President had consistently worked to address the longstanding structural and institutional challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Alake recalled that during a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections, Tinubu promised to tackle estimated billing and ensure Nigerians enjoyed stable and reliable electricity.
The President had declared that Nigerians would have electricity and would no longer pay estimated bills, adding that if he failed to fulfil the promise, he would provide adequate reasons before seeking a second-term mandate.
The Campaign Council said some recent public commentary had reproduced the campaign promise without including the concluding qualification, arguing that the full statement should be considered when assessing the President’s performance.
According to Alake, the administration has introduced several reforms and interventions aimed at restructuring the electricity market, improving infrastructure, expanding metering and attracting private investment.
He identified the signing of the Electricity Act 2023 on June 9, barely two weeks after Tinubu assumed office, as one of the administration’s major policy interventions.
The legislation decentralised the electricity sector, allowing state governments to establish regulatory frameworks and participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
Alake said states including Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger had begun taking advantage of the legislation by establishing their own electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment.
On electricity metering, the spokesperson said the administration introduced the Presidential Metering Initiative to address an estimated national metering gap of more than seven million customers.
He disclosed that over 1.5 million electricity customers had been metered under the initiative in the last three years.
The administration has also undertaken measures to address the financial challenges confronting the electricity market, including the accumulated legacy debts owed to power generation companies and gas suppliers.
Alake said the Federal Government established a four-trillion-naira bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 generation and gas companies.
He disclosed that the first and second tranches had raised more than 1.2 trillion naira towards settling the outstanding obligations.
According to him, the intervention is helping to restore confidence in the electricity market and encourage new investments in power generation infrastructure.
He cited Geregu Power Plc’s recent announcement of investments in new power transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant as an indication of renewed investment activity in the sector.
The spokesperson also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure.
He said President Tinubu reviewed the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and signed an Acceleration Agreement with German partners in December 2023 to speed up implementation.
By December 2024, the Federal Executive Council had approved the first batch of projects involving the upgrade of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations in strategic electricity load centres.
Alake said the projects were progressing towards completion, with commissioning expected before the end of the administration’s first term.
He further disclosed that the Federal Executive Council approved another batch of electricity infrastructure projects in June 2026, covering the construction of eight new substations and the upgrade of four existing facilities.
Other interventions include plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which he said was built more than 60 years ago, alongside the development of an East-West super grid.
On rural electrification, Alake said the Rural Electrification Agency had connected universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar-powered electricity systems.
He also defended the administration’s electricity tariff reforms, explaining that cost-reflective pricing was necessary to improve the financial sustainability of distribution companies and attract investment.
However, he acknowledged the need to balance the commercial interests of electricity operators with the affordability of power for ordinary Nigerians.
He said the introduction of different electricity service bands was intended to improve revenue collection, reduce the government’s subsidy burden and strengthen the financial position of distribution companies, while measures would continue to protect low-income households.
Despite these interventions, the Campaign Council acknowledged that resolving Nigeria’s electricity challenges remained an ongoing process.
Alake maintained that President Tinubu remained committed to fulfilling his campaign promises and would present his administration’s achievements and outstanding challenges in the power sector to Nigerians as he seeks a second term in office.
However, the ultimate test of these commitments remains measurable improvements in electricity availability, reliable supply, affordable tariffs, universal metering and the financial stability of the power sector.
