By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s continued epileptic power supply, arguing that the administration has failed to live up to its key campaign promise made ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Obi recalled a statement credited to Tinubu during the 2022 campaign, in which he said Nigerians should not vote him for a second term if he failed to deliver steady electricity within four years. According to Obi, recent developments show a sharp contradiction between that promise and present realities, noting that the national grid collapsed twice in January 2026 alone, with several days still left in the month. He added that the grid reportedly collapsed about 12 times in 2025.
In a statement published on his “X” handle on Wednesday, Obi said the recurring system failures should be a source of concern to all Nigerians, stressing that reliable electricity remains central to economic growth, job creation and national development.
“President Bola Tinubu’s campaign promise in 2022 was clear: “If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term.” Yet, in January 2026 alone, the national grid has already collapsed twice, and the month is not even over. Last year, it collapsed about twelve times. This reality sharply contradicts the promise and should worry every patriotic Nigerian,” Obi recalled.
Drawing comparisons with Turkey, where President Tinubu is currently on an official visit, Obi noted that Turkey, with a population of about 87 million people, generates and distributes over 120,000 megawatts of electricity, while Nigeria, with a much larger population, struggles to generate a fraction of that output.
The former Anambra State governor urged the President to focus more on addressing domestic challenges, particularly in the power sector, rather than frequent foreign trips. He warned that continued governance failures could deepen public suffering and erode confidence in leadership.
Obi further called on Nigerians to prioritise accountability and good governance over early political calculations for future elections, insisting that sustained pressure on leaders is necessary to reverse what he described as years of poor governance and national decline.
