The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for his 2023 campaign promise on electricity, accusing his administration of failing to deliver reliable and affordable power supply to Nigerians.
The council said attempts by the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council to explain or reinterpret Tinubu’s pledge amounted to an effort to evade accountability for a commitment he made before the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC said Tinubu had expressly told Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to provide electricity during his first term.
The opposition campaign council insisted that the President’s declaration, “Don’t vote for me for second term if I fail to deliver electricity,” was clear and required no further interpretation.
It accused the Tinubu administration of worsening the financial burden on electricity consumers through increased tariffs, while households and businesses continued to experience unreliable power supply.
The council also alleged that some hospitality businesses had resorted to restricting electricity supply to guests during the day to reduce operating expenses, citing the high cost of running generators and maintaining power supply.
It further faulted the introduction of different electricity tariff bands, including Bands A, B and C, arguing that consumers were paying more without corresponding improvements in the quality and reliability of electricity.
The ADC-PCC also questioned the impact of the Presidential Metering Initiative, alleging that many electricity consumers still received estimated bills despite the government's metering programme.
Dismissing the APC's reliance on the Electricity Act and bond initiatives to defend the administration's performance, the council said legislative reforms and financial arrangements could not substitute for actual 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 statement said.
The opposition group maintained that the President should be judged by his own campaign commitment rather than explanations from his political associates, adding that the January 16, 2027 election would give Nigerians an opportunity to assess his performance against his promises.
