Tinubu Under Fire: Opposition Blasts Broken Electricity Promise!

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its alleged failure to deliver on the 2023 electricity campaign promise. This accusation comes in response to attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to explain away President Tinubu’s prior commitment to provide stable electricity during his first term in office.

The controversy arose after Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, sought to clarify President Tinubu’s earlier pledge. However, the ADC-PCC, in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, asserted that Tinubu’s declaration ahead of the 2023 presidential election was unambiguous. The council highlighted the President’s exact words: “Don’t vote for me for second term if I fail to deliver electricity,” emphasizing that this commitment requires no further interpretation, regardless of any selective quotations or elaborate explanations offered by the APC.

Furthermore, the opposition council pointed out that instead of eliminating estimated billing as promised, the Tinubu administration has overseen significant increases in electricity tariffs. This development, according to the ADC-PCC, has exacerbated the financial strain on Nigerian households and businesses. They cited instances where hospitality businesses have been forced to ration electricity, even switching off power for guests during daytime hours, to manage escalating operating costs.

The ADC-PCC also raised concerns about the classification of electricity consumers into tariff bands (A, B, and C), arguing that many Nigerians are paying higher bills without experiencing a corresponding improvement in power supply reliability. The council detailed that persistent electricity outages, repeated national grid collapses, and generally inadequate supply remain pressing challenges, more than three years after President Tinubu made his initial pledge. The effectiveness of the Presidential Metering Initiative was also questioned, with allegations that its implementation has fallen short of expectations, leading to distribution companies continuing to issue estimated bills to consumers.

Addressing the APC’s reliance on the Electricity Act and bond programmes as indicators of progress, the ADC-PCC dismissed these as insufficient. The statement powerfully articulated: “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 maintained that rising electricity tariffs coupled with unreliable supply have inflated the operating costs for manufacturers, small businesses, and households, all of whom are already grappling with broader economic difficulties.

In conclusion, the ADC-PCC reiterated that President Tinubu’s 2023 campaign declaration established a clear condition for seeking re-election: the successful delivery of his electricity promise. The council therefore challenged the APC to directly address this commitment rather than attempting to dilute what it considers an unequivocal public pledge. They also noted that the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, 2027, will serve as a crucial opportunity for Nigerians to evaluate the administration’s performance against its stated campaign promises.