Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council of attempting to distract Nigerians from President Bola Tinubu’s unfulfilled electricity promise by highlighting government laws, committees, bonds and projects.

Atiku made the allegation in a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.

He criticised the government for celebrating policy announcements while households and businesses continued to grapple with unreliable electricity and rising energy costs.

“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.

“Across Nigeria, consumers are placed in Bands A, B, C, D and E and charged different rates. In many areas, Band A customers pay about ₦209.50 per unit before VAT. Rates for the other bands vary by state and electricity provider. Yet across every band, the same hardship endures: the power fails, but the bill arrives. 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.

“The government now says it plans to end electricity subsidies from 2027, even as it insists there will be no immediate tariff increase. Nigerians are entitled to a clear answer: what will happen to their bills when the subsidy ends? I will work with state governments and regulators, within the law, to abolish the present band system and replace it with a fair, transparent and affordable framework that protects households and holds power companies accountable for the electricity they deliver. Steady power that Nigerians can afford will be a national priority.”

The former vice president recalled Tinubu’s campaign promise in 2022 to provide constant electricity within four years, insisting that Nigerians should judge the President by his performance.

“When President Tinubu campaigned in 2022, he made an unmistakable commitment. He said: ‘If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.’ Nigerians have lived through those four years. They do not need his campaign council to interpret his words for them. They need him to answer for them.

“His administration has not built a single new generation infrastructure of its own to increase Nigeria’s power capacity. Yet it has floated a multitrillion naira bond programme to settle legacy debts owed to generation companies, without showing Nigerians how this financial intervention has produced the steady electricity they were promised. 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.

“Meanwhile, Nigerians face VAT on electricity, and the Nigeria Tax Act provides for a 5 per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel. The government says the surcharge has not been activated and would require a ministerial order. At a time when families already struggle to meet the cost of energy, Nigerians deserve to know why another potential charge has been placed before them.”

Atiku also dismissed the government’s policy announcements as insufficient to address the country’s electricity challenges, arguing that Nigerians needed reliable power rather than legislative and financial measures.

“Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered. Nigerians cannot cook, study, work or sustain a business on announcements. President Tinubu invited Nigerians to judge him by his performance. They have done so. What they seek is simple: reliable electricity they can afford, and a government that keeps its word.”