Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of his campaign promise not to seek re-election if he fails to deliver constant electricity in his first term.
Recall that in December 2022, Tinubu boldly declared that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he fails to provide steady power supply within four years.
Taking to his official X page on Tuesday, September 10, Obi brought up the president’s words after Nigeria experienced yet another national power grid collapse, throwing millions into blackout.
Quoting Tinubu’s 2022 statement, Obi wrote:
“Lest we forget, If I don’t give you constant electricity in the next 4 years, don’t vote for me for second term.”
The Labour Party chieftain noted that the APC-led government has presided over more power outages and grid collapses than any administration in Nigeria’s history, despite billions of dollars invested in the sector.
Obi also compared Nigeria’s situation with countries like Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, who have doubled electricity generation and transformed their economies, while Nigeria has barely moved from 4,500MW to 5,000MW in decades.
He stressed that if Nigeria were to generate even 10,000MW, the GDP could rise by 50%, creating millions of jobs and unlocking industrial growth.
Criticizing the government’s priorities, Obi added that instead of focusing on electricity generation, the administration is channeling resources into projects like coastal roads, while factories shut down, jobs disappear, and citizens remain in darkness.
“Mr. President, it is time to prioritise generating and distributing more electricity to power businesses, especially MSMEs, which will create jobs and grow the economy. A New Nigeria is POssible,” Obi concluded.
