Opposition leaders Atiku Abubakar and Seyi Makinde have launched fresh attacks on President Bola Tinubu over persistent electricity outages, accusing his administration of leaving Nigerians in darkness despite its promises of improved power supply.
The criticism came as the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) defended Tinubu’s record, insisting that the President was steadily implementing reforms to address the country’s longstanding electricity crisis.
The renewed political battle over electricity has intensified ahead of the 2027 elections, with opposition figures demanding tangible results rather than policy announcements.
Atiku: Nigerians remain in darkness
Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, faulted the APC-PCC’s explanation of Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise to provide electricity and end estimated billing.
Through his campaign’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former vice-president said Nigerians were still grappling with erratic power supply, rising tariffs and the high cost of alternative electricity.
He accused the administration of celebrating policy documents while households and businesses continued to suffer.
“Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered,” Atiku declared.
He also criticised the electricity band system, arguing that consumers were paying higher tariffs without corresponding improvements in supply.
Atiku called for a fairer pricing framework that would hold distribution companies accountable for the electricity delivered to consumers.
Makinde joins opposition attack
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde also joined the opposition criticism, using recurring power outages to challenge Tinubu’s administration over its handling of the electricity sector.
The opposition leaders’ attacks followed the APC-PCC’s defence of the President’s 2023 promise that Nigerians would enjoy electricity and no longer pay estimated bills.
APC insists Tinubu is delivering
However, APC-PCC spokesman Dele Alake maintained that Tinubu’s commitment remained intact, citing the Electricity Act 2023, metering initiatives, infrastructure upgrades and a multitrillion-naira bond programme.
He said the administration had taken significant steps to address accumulated debts owed to power generation and gas companies.
Alake also disclosed that more than 1.5 million electricity customers had been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
Acknowledging that the crisis remained unresolved, he insisted that Tinubu would present his scorecard before seeking another term.
But Atiku maintained that Nigerians needed reliable electricity, not promises, insisting that the administration’s performance must be judged by the power reaching homes and businesses.
