Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of hiding President Bola Tinubu's failure on electricity. Atiku is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). According to This Day, he said the APC campaign was covering up the broken promise with a long list of laws, committees, bonds and projects. The statement was issued by Phrank Shaibu, the ADC campaign's director of strategic communication.
Atiku said that after three and a half years, families still struggle to keep their homes lit. He said traders spend scarce money on alternative power. The ADC campaign said Tinubu had promised steady power and an end to estimated billing, and that he had not kept that promise. It said Band A customers in many areas pay about N209.50 per unit before VAT. The campaign also questioned government plans to end electricity subsidies from 2027.
The ADC quoted Tinubu's words from the 2022 campaign: "If I don't give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don't vote for me." It said his government has not built any new generation infrastructure of its own. It added that a multitrillion naira bond programme to pay old debts to generation companies is not the same as new power. The campaign also criticised VAT on electricity and a possible five per cent surcharge on petrol and diesel. Atiku promised that, if elected, he would replace the band system with a fair and affordable framework.
The APC campaign council rejected the criticism, Premium Times reported. It said some commentaries quoted Tinubu's promise without the part where he said he would give Nigerians adequate reasons if he failed on estimated billing before seeking re-election. The council said a scorecard on the power sector is coming. According to Leadership, the party insists the pledge must be judged in its full context.
Tinubu himself said that settling old debts in the electricity sector is restoring confidence among key players, Leadership reported. He said this strengthens the foundation for a more stable power market.
Separately, the ADC campaign accused the Tinubu government of a coordinated assault on democracy ahead of the general election. It cited a reported attack on its Sokoto governorship candidate, Alhaji Munir Dan Iya. It also pointed to the reported demolition of its campaign office in Kebbi State. In addition, it cited the alleged denial of a campaign venue in Enugu to Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate.