Former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over Nigeria’s unstable electricity supply, recalling a campaign promise Tinubu made ahead of the 2023 general election.
In a statement shared on his social media handle on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Obi quoted President Tinubu as saying in 2022: “If I do not provide steady electricity in my first four years, do not vote for me for a second term.”
Obi, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said recent events clearly contradict that promise. “Yet, in January 2026 alone, the national grid has already collapsed twice, and the month is not even over,” Obi stated. “Last year, it collapsed about twelve times. This reality sharply contradicts the promise and should worry every patriotic Nigerian.”
He also raised concerns about the President’s frequent foreign trips, noting that Tinubu is currently on a visit to Turkey. Obi compared Nigeria’s power situation with that of Turkey, describing the difference as alarming.
“Turkey, a country of about 87 million people—roughly a third of Nigeria’s population—generates and distributes over 120,000 megawatts of electricity, while Nigeria struggles with less than five per cent of that capacity,” he said, adding that “the contrast is both striking and painful.”
Obi appealed directly to the President to focus on domestic challenges. “Our appeal is simple: stay at home and confront the nation’s problems,” he wrote, warning that Nigeria risks seeing leaders prioritise foreign travel while critical issues remain unresolved. “At this rate, we may soon hear of trips to Palau or Vanuatu while critical issues remain unattended to at home,” he added.
The former governor also criticised what he described as Nigeria’s growing obsession with elections rather than governance. “Our collective preoccupation seems to be the next election, rather than how to secure good governance,” Obi said.
He called on Nigerians to demand accountability from their leaders. “We should be joining hands to demand accountability and responsible leadership, and to save Nigerians from the indignity and suffering caused by persistent bad governance,” he stated and concluded his post with his familiar message of hope: “A new Nigeria is possible.”
