The Presidency has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised to provide 24-hour electricity to all Nigerians during his 2023 election campaign, accusing supporters of former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi of misrepresenting the President’s remarks.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the claim that Tinubu guaranteed uninterrupted power supply for all Nigerians was false and deliberately distorted.
In a statement, Onanuga explained that Tinubu’s actual campaign promise focused on improving electricity supply and ending estimated billing rather than guaranteeing round-the-clock power nationwide.
According to him, the then-presidential candidate had said: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore.”
Tinubu had also declared that if he failed to fulfil the promise and sought a second term, Nigerians should not vote for him unless he could provide adequate reasons for the delay.
The presidential aide said one of the administration’s first major actions was signing the Electricity Act, which allows states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity independently of the national grid.
He added that the government has intensified efforts to eliminate estimated billing through the distribution of millions of prepaid meters, with plans to install an additional seven million units across the country.
Onanuga further noted that power generation has continued to improve, while the government has expanded off-grid solar projects to schools, hospitals and markets in several parts of Nigeria.
Despite the reforms, the Presidency acknowledged that challenges remain in the country’s transmission infrastructure and electricity pricing system.
According to Onanuga, the administration is working to address these issues to attract fresh investment and strengthen the nation’s power sector.
The clarification comes amid renewed political debates over campaign promises and the pace of reforms in Nigeria’s electricity industry.
