Atiku challenges Tinubu's electricity record, proposes tariff overhaul as 2027 campaigns intensify
Atiku Abubakar, ADC presidential candidate for 2027, challenged President Tinubu's electricity performance Sunday, proposing to replace Nigeria's tariff-band system with pricing tied to actual power delivered. The APC defended Tinubu citing the Electricity Act 2023, 1.5 million new meters installed, ₦4 trillion bond for legacy debts, and transmission investments. Atiku countered that Band A customers still pay ~₦209.50/kWh before VAT despite unreliable supply, and questioned the planned 2027 subsidy removal. His alternative lacks a tariff formula or costings.
Meanwhile, NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso urged Atiku to withdraw, arguing the South hasn't completed its presidential turn under Nigeria's informal rotation arrangement. ADC South-west officials complain Atiku's team is sidelining party structures ahead of Wednesday's Sokoto campaign launch (postponed from Oct 31). Atiku's campaign says state councils aren't yet inaugurated.
Court orders complicate nominations: a Federal High Court order blocks INEC from publishing NDC's Kano governorship candidate, while a fresh APC senatorial primary is scheduled Monday in Zamfara North after courts nullified the May exercise.
Campaign funding questions mount: Tompolo donated 60 vehicles across Osun and Imo; the Renewed Hope Initiative announced ₦110 million per senatorial district (₦100 million accounted for in direct payments); the Leke Abejide Foundation pledged ₦600 million in Kano alongside polling-unit recruitment. No evidence links assistance to vote-buying, but campaign-finance transparency remains unclear.
With 2027 campaigns accelerating, voters face competing electricity narratives without clear implementation plans, organizational disputes in major opposition parties, and opaque campaign financing. Which electricity proposal—legislative reform or consumer pricing—actually guarantees your lights stay on? And will party infighting or court battles decide candidates before you vote?