Presidency spokesman Bayo Onanuga says President Bola Tinubu never vowed to abandon his re-election bid over Nigeria’s power supply challenges
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, speaking during an interview on Arise News in Abuja, Nigeria, dismissed widespread claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had pledged to abandon his re-election bid if he failed to significantly improve electricity supply in the country, describing the interpretation as misleading and taken out of context.
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The Tinubu power promise denial re-election clarification comes amid renewed public debate over comments made during the President’s 2022 campaign, which critics have repeatedly referenced in discussions about the slow pace of improvement in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Bayo Onanuga stated that President Tinubu’s remarks were conditional political messaging rather than a binding commitment tied to electoral ambition, insisting that the administration has instead demonstrated consistent engagement with structural reforms in the power sector since taking office in 2023.
“The President has not at any time stated that he would abandon his re-election bid over electricity supply,” Onanuga said, adding that the interpretation circulating in public discourse misrepresents the intent behind the original statement.
He further noted that one of the administration’s key achievements in the sector is the signing of the Electricity Act, which decentralises electricity regulation and allows states to independently generate, transmit, and distribute power, a reform widely described by analysts as a significant policy shift.
Onanuga also referenced ongoing interventions aimed at improving service delivery, including increased deployment of electricity meters to address estimated billing and broader efforts to stabilise distribution networks across the country.
However, he acknowledged that electricity supply remains below expectations, attributing persistent challenges to structural issues including gas supply constraints, historical debts owed to gas suppliers, and ageing national transmission infrastructure.
Despite these constraints, the presidency maintains that reforms are ongoing and that the government remains committed to long-term improvements in power generation and distribution, which it describes as central to economic growth and industrial recovery.
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The clarification adds to ongoing national conversations around governance delivery expectations ahead of the 2027 political cycle, where energy reform continues to rank among the most debated policy issues.
