The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has rejected claims that the President pledged not to seek a second term in office if he failed to substantially improve electricity supply across the country.

Onanuga's remarks followed renewed public attention to a statement made by Tinubu during a business luncheon in December 2022 ahead of the 2023 presidential election, where the then-presidential candidate declared: “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, the presidential spokesman argued that the President's comments had been taken out of context. 

He insisted that critics often quote only a portion of the statement while ignoring the broader circumstances under which it was made.

Responding to questions on whether Tinubu had effectively ruled himself out of seeking re-election should electricity supply fail to improve significantly, Onanuga maintained that the President's remarks were conditional rather than an unequivocal political pledge.

“That is not exactly what he said,” Onanuga stated. “He said he would improve power supply and also address the issue of estimated billing. He further explained that if there were reasons he could not achieve the desired outcome, Nigerians should understand the challenges he inherited.”

The presidential aide noted that one of the administration's earliest actions was the signing of the Electricity Act, which decentralised the power sector by granting states greater authority to generate, transmit and distribute electricity within their jurisdictions.

According to him, the legislation has created opportunities for increased private sector participation and competition, with several states already taking steps to establish independent electricity markets and expand power generation capacity.

“The first thing he did when he came into office was sign the Electricity Act, which enables states to generate power, transmit power and distribute power. 

"That is a major reform, and many states are already taking advantage of it,” he said.

Onanuga also highlighted ongoing efforts to close Nigeria's metering gap, noting that the Federal Government has intervened to accelerate meter distribution and reduce reliance on estimated billing, a longstanding source of consumer dissatisfaction.

While acknowledging that electricity supply has not yet reached the level envisaged by the President, he attributed the shortfall to structural and historical challenges confronting the sector. 

He explained that despite Nigeria's installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, factors such as inadequate gas supply, huge legacy debts owed to gas producers, and an ageing transmission infrastructure continue to constrain performance.

“What people do not know is that we already have an installed capacity of about 13,500 megawatts. The challenges include gas shortages, legacy debts running into trillions of naira, and an outdated transmission network,” he said.

Onanuga stressed that the Tinubu administration is pursuing a combination of policy, regulatory and infrastructure reforms aimed at addressing these bottlenecks and improving electricity generation, transmission and distribution across the country.

He maintained that despite existing challenges, the administration remains committed to fulfilling its promise of transforming the power sector and delivering more reliable electricity to Nigerians.