Former Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has taken aim at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over Nigeria’s deepening electricity crisis, invoking the president’s own campaign promise to question his administration’s performance.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, Tinubu had declared, “If I don’t give you constant electricity in four years, don’t vote for me for a second term.”
The statement has now resurfaced amid worsening power supply and rising electricity tariffs across the country.
Obi, in a strongly worded reaction, argued that current realities in the power sector fall far short of expectations set by the administration.
Quoting available data, he said Nigeria’s electricity generation, which stood at over 4,000 megawatts when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, now averages below that mark, even as consumers face higher tariffs.
He further highlighted Nigeria’s low electricity consumption levels, noting that the country’s per capita usage—estimated at about 144 kWh—remains significantly below Africa’s average of 617 kWh, underscoring the scale of the nation’s energy deficit.
“During the 2023 campaign, President Tinubu made a clear electoral promise: “If I don’t give you constant electricity in four years, don’t vote for me for a second term.”
“When he took office in 2023, Nigeria had a power supply of over 4,000 megawatts and lower tariffs. Today, the electricity power supply is less than 4,000 megawatts on the average, and Nigerians are paying higher tariffs. Nigeria currently has the lowest per capita electricity consumption in the world, with a rate below 30% of the African average. Africa’s average is 617kwh, Nigeria’s is 144 kWh. This means that Nigerians consume least electricity than other Africans.
“In a glaring display of disregard for promises and a lack of trust, President Tinubu, during a brief airport stopover to visit grieving families of the Jos attack on Thursday, April 2, 2026, stated that one of the reasons for his 10-minute stay was that the airport had no electricity. “You have no light here I fly out in ten minutes” At a time when Nigerians are enduring days without power, our leaders cannot even stay a few minutes without it.
“Now is the time to stop incompetent leaders—those lacking the capacity and compassion—who prioritise their own comfort over the well-being of the people and make empty promises,” Obi posted on social media.