Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) over its defence of President Bola Tinubu’s electricity record, insisting that Nigerians need reliable power supply rather than policy announcements and financial interventions.
Atiku said Nigerians continued to grapple with erratic electricity supply, rising tariffs and the high cost of alternative power, three and a half years after Tinubu promised steady electricity and an end to estimated billing.
He made the remarks in a statement earlier today, November 1, issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC), Phrank Shaibu.
The former vice president accused the APC campaign council of celebrating policy documents and financial commitments while households and businesses continued to suffer from poor electricity supply.
“The APC should spare Nigerians the spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness. After three and a half years, families still struggle to keep their homes lit. Traders and small business owners spend scarce resources on alternative power, yet struggle to keep their businesses alive. Nigerians are billed for electricity they cannot rely on. President Tinubu promised steady power and an end to estimated billing. That promise has not been kept,” he said.
Atiku also faulted the electricity band system, arguing that consumers were paying different tariffs without receiving corresponding improvements in power supply.
He cited Band A tariffs of about ₦209.50 per unit in many areas, excluding VAT, as an example of the financial pressure on households and businesses.
“No family should have to weigh the cost of electricity against the cost of food. No business should be left to pay more while receiving less,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also questioned the Federal Government’s plan to end electricity subsidies from 2027, demanding clarity on how the proposed policy would affect household and business electricity bills.
He proposed working with state governments and regulators to abolish the existing band system and introduce a more affordable tariff framework that would hold electricity distribution companies accountable for the power they supply.
Atiku further criticised the Federal Government’s multitrillion-naira bond programme to settle outstanding debts owed to electricity generation and gas companies.
He argued that clearing legacy debts differs from investing in new generation infrastructure, alleging that the Tinubu administration has failed to build new power facilities to increase Nigeria’s electricity capacity.
“Paying old debts is not the same as building new power infrastructure. Bonds cannot be presented as a substitute for power in people’s homes,” he said.
He also expressed concerns about VAT on electricity and the five per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act, warning that the additional charges could further increase the financial burden on consumers.
NEWSNGR reports that Atiku’s comments followed a defence of the administration’s electricity policies by APC-PCC spokesman Dele Alake, who described the reforms as ongoing efforts to improve the sector.
Alake had cited the Electricity Act 2023, the ₦4 trillion bond programme to settle verified debts owed to generation and gas companies, metering initiatives, transmission projects and state electricity reforms as evidence of the government’s commitment to improving power supply.
However, Atiku maintained that policy announcements and financial commitments could not replace measurable improvements in electricity delivery.
“Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered. Nigerians cannot cook, study, work or sustain a business on announcements,” he said.
He also recalled Tinubu’s campaign promise ahead of the 2023 presidential election, when the then presidential candidate challenged Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to provide constant electricity within four years.
Atiku argued that Nigerians had now experienced the period Tinubu set for delivering on the promise and should no longer be expected to accept explanations from his campaign council.
“They do not need his campaign council to interpret his words for them. They need him to answer for them,” he said.
