Atiku Attacks Tinubu Over Electricity Tariffs, Vows to Scrap Band System

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s electricity policies, promising to abolish the current electricity band classification system if elected, saying Nigerians are paying higher tariffs without enjoying improved power supply.

Atiku made the pledge in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, while responding to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council’s defence of the Tinubu administration’s power sector reforms.

He said the current tariff structure, which places consumers under Bands A, B, C, D and E, has failed to deliver reliable electricity despite charging customers different rates.

“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,” the statement said.

According to Atiku, electricity consumers across all tariff bands continue to face the same challenge of erratic power supply despite paying varying rates.

“Across Nigeria, consumers are placed in Bands A, B, C, D and E and charged different rates. 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,” he stated.

The former vice president also expressed concern over the Federal Government’s plan to phase out electricity subsidies from 2027, saying Nigerians deserve clarity on how the decision would affect their electricity bills.

He pledged that an ADC-led administration would work with state governments and electricity regulators to abolish the existing band system and replace it with a transparent and affordable framework that would ensure consumers pay for the quality of electricity they receive.

“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,” Atiku said.

He also accused the Tinubu administration of failing to fulfil its campaign promise of delivering constant electricity, recalling the President’s 2022 pledge that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to provide stable power within four years.

Atiku further argued that while the government had announced reforms, laws and financial interventions, including a multitrillion-naira bond programme to settle legacy debts in the power sector, such measures had not translated into improved electricity supply for ordinary Nigerians.

“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.

Concluding his remarks, Atiku insisted that Nigerians were interested in results rather than policy announcements.

“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,” he added.