The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following yet another collapse of Nigeria’s national electricity grid, which threw large parts of the country into darkness.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, reminded Nigerians of Tinubu’s campaign pledge, where he boldly declared that citizens should not re-elect him if he failed to deliver uninterrupted electricity within four years of assuming office.
In a statement titled, “If I don’t give you constant electricity in the next 4 years, don’t vote for me for second term,” Obi highlighted the glaring contrast between Tinubu’s promise and the harsh reality Nigerians currently face. He emphasized that the APC-led government has witnessed more electricity grid failures than any other administration in Nigeria’s history, despite enormous financial investments in the power sector.
Drawing comparisons with other developing nations, Obi noted that while Nigeria has spent billions of dollars on power generation with minimal improvement, countries like Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, and Bangladesh have doubled their electricity output by adding tens of thousands of megawatts. Nigeria, on the other hand, has barely inched forward from 4,500 megawatts to just over 5,000 megawatts.
Obi explained that expanding power supply to at least 10,000 megawatts could significantly boost the nation’s economy—raising GDP by nearly 50 percent, stimulating industrial growth, creating millions of jobs, and alleviating the suffering of ordinary citizens.
He faulted the Tinubu administration for prioritizing massive road projects, such as coastal highways, instead of urgently addressing Nigeria’s chronic electricity deficit. According to him, the consequences are evident as factories shut down, jobs vanish, businesses collapse, and households remain trapped in darkness.
Calling on the president to redirect focus, Obi stated:
“Mr. President, it is time to prioritise electricity. A New Nigeria is Possible.”
