Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has vowed to abolish Nigeria’s five-band electricity tariff system if given the opportunity to lead the country, accusing President Bola Tinubu of failing to honour his campaign promise to provide Nigerians with constant electricity.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the declaration in a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, spokesperson of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council.

He proposed replacing the existing tariff structure with what he described as a fair, transparent and affordable system that would protect electricity consumers and ensure power distribution companies are accountable for the services they provide.

The ADC candidate's remarks followed comments by Dele Alake, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, who had defended Tinubu's electricity campaign promise, arguing that it was being quoted out of context.

Alake maintained that the President had promised to improve electricity supply and end estimated billing, but urged Nigerians to consider his administration's interventions in the power sector, including the Electricity Act, 2023, the Presidential Metering Initiative and a bond programme aimed at settling outstanding debts owed to power generation and gas companies.

However, Atiku dismissed the APC's defence, accusing the administration of celebrating policy initiatives and financial interventions without delivering reliable electricity to households and businesses.

“The APC should spare Nigerians the spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness,” he said.

He lamented that families, traders and small business owners continued to spend heavily on alternative power sources while struggling with unreliable public electricity supply.

“President Tinubu promised steady power and an end to estimated billing. That promise has not been kept,” Atiku stated.

He particularly criticised the five-band tariff arrangement, which divides electricity consumers into Bands A, B, C, D and E, with different charges based on their distribution companies and service categories.

According to him, some Band A customers pay approximately N209.50 per unit before VAT, despite continuing concerns over the reliability of electricity supply.

“Yet across every band, the same hardship endures: the power fails, but the bill arrives,” he said.

Atiku insisted that Nigerians should not be compelled to sacrifice essential household needs to pay electricity bills, adding that businesses should not pay higher tariffs without receiving corresponding improvements in power supply.

He promised to collaborate with state governments and regulatory authorities to introduce a new electricity pricing framework that would prioritise affordability, transparency and consumer protection.

The former vice-president also revisited Tinubu's campaign promise ahead of the 2023 presidential election, recalling his declaration that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to provide constant electricity within four years.

“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,” Atiku said.

He further alleged that the Tinubu administration had not constructed any new generation infrastructure of its own to expand Nigeria's electricity generation capacity.

Atiku also questioned the effectiveness of the multitrillion-naira bond programme designed to settle outstanding debts in the power sector, arguing that clearing inherited obligations was not equivalent to developing new electricity infrastructure.

“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 stated.

On the rising cost of energy, Atiku expressed concern over VAT on electricity and the five per cent surcharge provided for certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act.

He acknowledged the government's position that the surcharge had not been activated and would require a ministerial order, but maintained that Nigerians deserved clarity on any additional financial obligations amid prevailing economic pressures.

Atiku argued that signing legislation, raising bonds and approving projects should not be presented as achievements unless they translate into improved electricity supply.

“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,” he said.

He maintained that reliable and affordable electricity must remain a national priority, insisting that Nigerians expected the Federal Government to fulfil its promises through tangible improvements in power supply.