…As former VP seeks abolition of electricity band system

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, APC-PCC, over its defence of President Bola Tinubu’s electricity pledge, insisting that Nigerians cannot power their homes and businesses with laws, bonds and project announcements.

Atiku said despite the administration’s explanations about reforms and ongoing projects, Nigerians were still battling unreliable electricity, rising tariffs and the cost of alternative power, three and a half years after Tinubu promised steady supply and an end to estimated billing.

In a statement on Sunday 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 interventions instead of addressing the failure to translate them into reliable electricity.

“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.

But in a statement by the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, he said a fair assessment of the President’s pledge should be consider alongside the administration’s record since 2023.

Alake said Tinubu’s record should be assessed against measurable improvements in electricity supply, metering, infrastructure and market stability.

“Some recent public commentary has reproduced the campaign pledge without its concluding qualification: that should he fall short, he would owe Nigerians an adequate explanation before seeking their support for a second term.

“While fixing the power sector crisis remains unfinished, the President is working consistently to deliver on his promise to Nigerians, and his commitment to face the challenges head-on has never diminished,” he said.

Alake recalled that within two weeks in office, President Tinubu signed the Electricity Act, 2023 on June 9.

He said that with the new Electricity Act, President Tinubu effectively liberalised and deregulated the power sector, moving it away from the Exclusive List so that the states, as subnationals, can participate in power generation, distribution, and transmission.

“Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger have started taking advantage of the law to maximise the benefits by setting up their own electricity regulatory agencies and driving private capital into their states.

“President Tinubu took on the over N6 trillion legacy debt that had accumulated from 2015 to 2025. He started a Presidential Metering Initiative to close the over 7 million Metering gap. His administration significantly aligned the tariffs to cost to restore liquidity to the electricity market. He also put in place a system to protect low-income households while investment in substations and grid expansion continues.

“In the last three years, over 1.5 million customers have been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative. The Rural Electrification Agency has connected universities, hospitals, and rural communities to solar power. The government has unveiled plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, built over 60 years ago and build an East-West super grid.”

Alake added that the Tinubu administration created a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts to 21 power generating companies (Gencos) and gas companies (Gascos).

He noted that the first and second tranches of the bond programme have raised over N1.2 trillion to settle part of the N4 trillion verified legacy debt.

“President Tinubu has repositioned the power sector and reduced market risk for future investment. The impact of this intervention is becoming evident in Gencos’ ability to make new investments to upgrade power plants. Just a few days ago, Geregu Power Plc announced investments in new Power Transformers to enhance operations at the Geregu 1 Power Plant. Other firms are making similar investments.

“President Tinubu inherited many power-sector initiatives, including the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), which his predecessor, late President Muhammadu Buhari, started. Upon assuming office, President Tinubu reviewed the existing agreement and signed an Acceleration Agreement in December 2023 to enable FGN’s PPI and the German partners to move quickly to execute projects in the transmission network grid. By December 2024, FEC approved the contract for the first batch of 5 TCN substations in key load centres to be upgraded to enhance electricity supply to industrial and private consumers in the areas. These projects are now being completed and will be commissioned before the end of the administration’s first term,” he said.

Alake stressed that President Tinubu has not deviated an inch from his commitment, adding that as he seeks Nigerians’ mandate for a second term in office, he will proudly present his scorecard in the power sector and clearly tell Nigerians what remains to be done.

Responding to Alake’s defence, Atiku faulted the electricity band system, arguing that consumers were paying different tariffs without corresponding improvements in supply.

He cited Band A tariffs of about N209.50 per unit in many areas, before VAT, to illustrate the burden on consumers, insisting that Nigerians across all five bands continued to pay for electricity they could not reliably access.

“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 former vice president also demanded clarity on the Federal Government’s plan to end electricity subsidies from 2027, questioning what the move would mean for household and business electricity bills.

He proposed working with state governments and regulators to abolish the existing band system and introduce what he described as a fairer, more affordable framework that would hold power companies accountable for electricity delivered.

Atiku’s lampooned the administration’s multitrillion-naira bond programme to settle legacy debts owed to generation companies, which he said could not be mistaken for investment in new electricity generation infrastructure.

He alleged that the Tinubu administration had not built any new generation infrastructure of its own to expand Nigeria’s power 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 raised concerns over VAT on electricity and the five per cent surcharge provided for certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act, arguing that Nigerians already struggling with energy costs deserved clarity on the prospect of additional charges.