ADC Tackles Tinubu, APC Over ‘Unfulfilled Power Supply Pledge’

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress over what it described as the failure to fulfil the President’s 2023 campaign promise to improve electricity supply across Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Sunday, November 1, the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the APC must account for the President’s pledge that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to deliver electricity.

Ologbondiyan argued that the commitment was made directly to Nigerians during the campaign and should be assessed against the actual state of electricity supply under the administration.

The ADC-PCC accused the government of failing to provide reliable power despite increased electricity tariffs, persistent outages and the continued use of estimated billing by electricity distribution companies.

It also criticised the tariff-band system, arguing that consumers were paying different rates without consistently receiving the quality of service expected under their respective classifications.

The council further questioned the effectiveness of the Presidential Metering Initiative, alleging that many electricity customers continued to receive estimated bills despite government efforts to close the country’s metering gap.

Dismissing the APC’s reliance on legislative reforms and financing arrangements to defend the administration’s record, the ADC-PCC maintained that policies and funding commitments should be judged by their impact on households and businesses.

“An Act is not electricity. A bond prospectus does not power homes and factories,” the council said, insisting that Nigerians needed dependable electricity rather than further explanations and announcements.

The criticism followed a response from the APC Presidential Campaign Council, whose spokesperson, Dele Alake, said Tinubu’s electricity pledge should be considered in its full context.

Alake maintained that the President had not abandoned his commitment and pointed to measures including the Electricity Act 2023, the Presidential Metering Initiative, plans to settle verified debts owed to power-sector operators and investments in transmission infrastructure.

He acknowledged that resolving the country’s longstanding electricity challenges remained unfinished work but said the administration would present its achievements and outstanding challenges to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.

The disagreement comes as electricity supply remains a major concern for Nigerian households, manufacturers and small businesses, many of which depend on generators and other alternative sources to maintain operations.

While the government has pursued regulatory reforms and infrastructure investments, the competing claims from the APC and ADC-PCC underscore the political debate over whether those interventions have delivered sufficient improvements for consumers.

The ADC-PCC said Nigerians should assess the administration’s performance against its campaign commitments as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.