The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his 2023 campaign promise to end estimated electricity billing and ensure stable power supply, insisting that the pledge should be assessed alongside the administration’s policies, investments and efforts to reform the sector.
The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, made the position in a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, 2026, following renewed public criticism of the President’s electricity pledge ahead of the 2027 general election.
During a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos before the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu had promised to address Nigeria’s electricity challenges, particularly estimated billing and unreliable power supply.
He had declared: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept.”
He also challenged Nigerians not to vote for him for a second term if he failed to fulfil the promise, unless he provided adequate reasons for his inability to deliver.
However, Alake argued that some recent public commentary had quoted the pledge without including the concluding qualification, which he said was necessary for a fair assessment of the President’s commitment.
He maintained that the administration had taken significant steps to address longstanding structural, financial and infrastructural challenges in the electricity industry, although he acknowledged that fixing the sector remained unfinished.
Among the measures highlighted was the Electricity Act, 2023, which Tinubu signed on June 9, 2023, barely two weeks after assuming office. The legislation provides a framework for state governments to establish and regulate electricity markets within their jurisdictions, opening the sector to greater subnational participation and private investment.
According to the APC campaign council, states including Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger have taken advantage of the new framework to establish electricity regulatory agencies and attract investment.
However, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission reported in May 2026 that 15 states had formally transitioned to regulating their electricity markets, including Edo, Ogun, Ondo, Imo, Plateau, Nasarawa, Anambra, Bayelsa and Kogi.
On the financial challenges confronting the industry, Alake said the Tinubu administration inherited more than ₦6 trillion in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025.
He said the government established a ₦4 trillion bond programme to settle verified debts owed to 21 electricity generation companies and gas suppliers, adding that the first two tranches had raised more than ₦1.2 trillion.
The administration also introduced the Presidential Metering Initiative to address the country’s estimated metering gap of more than seven million customers.
Alake claimed that more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the initiative within the last three years.
However, NERC’s May and June 2026 metering factsheet showed that the country’s total metered electricity customers stood at 7,743,839 out of 12,589,486 active customers as of June 2026, representing a national metering rate of 61.51 per cent. This means millions of electricity customers were still without meters.
The campaign council also cited rural electrification projects undertaken by the Rural Electrification Agency, including solar power connections for universities, hospitals and rural communities.
On transmission infrastructure, Alake said the administration had reviewed the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the Muhammadu Buhari government and signed an acceleration agreement with its German partners in December 2023 to fast-track projects aimed at strengthening the national grid.
He said the Federal Executive Council approved the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations for upgrading in December 2024, while another set of projects involving the construction of eight new substations and upgrading of four existing ones received approval in June 2026.
The administration has also announced plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre and develop an East-West super grid.
Alake further defended the government’s electricity tariff policy, explaining that the introduction of different service bands was intended to improve the financial viability of distribution companies while maintaining protections for low-income consumers.
He argued that balancing cost-reflective tariffs with affordable electricity required careful policy decisions to improve operators’ cash flow and reduce the government’s financial burden from subsidies.
Despite the measures listed by the APC, challenges surrounding electricity supply remain significant.
NERC’s September 2026 operational performance factsheet showed that grid-connected power plants generated an average of 4,089 megawatts, despite having an average available capacity of 5,038 megawatts during the month.
The figures underline the gap between available generation capacity and electricity actually produced for the national grid, while consumers continue to demand more reliable supply.
The council also pointed to recent investment announcements by power companies, including Geregu Power Plc’s plans for new transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant, as evidence that interventions in the sector were encouraging fresh investment.
Alake insisted that Tinubu had not abandoned his campaign commitment and would present his administration’s achievements, alongside the outstanding challenges, to Nigerians as he seeks a second term in 2027.
“Fixing the electricity market and power sector is ongoing work,” he said.
The APC’s defence comes as electricity supply, estimated billing, metering and tariff affordability remain major issues for households and businesses across Nigeria.
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