Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, has declared that he will not make unrealistic promises of delivering uninterrupted nationwide electricity within a single four-year term if elected President, insisting that meaningful reforms in Nigeria's power sector require honesty, long-term planning and sustained investment.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday night, the former Anambra State governor said while improving electricity supply would be one of the major priorities of his administration, it would be misleading to assure Nigerians of round-the-clock electricity across the country within four years.
According to Obi, developing the infrastructure required to achieve stable electricity nationwide is a complex undertaking that cannot be accomplished within a single presidential term.
"I will not tell them I'm going to give them reliable, stable, 24-hour electricity within four years," Obi said.
"It is impossible because if you want to build a power plant, it will take you about four years to build a power plant. If you want to build and improve our transmission line, it will take you a number of years."
The former governor explained that rather than making ambitious promises that may be difficult to fulfil, his administration would focus on significantly improving electricity generation, transmission and distribution to ensure Nigerians enjoy a more reliable and efficient power supply.
Obi maintained that Nigeria's electricity challenge is no longer limited to generation alone but is largely rooted in inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructure, which prevents available electricity from reaching consumers.
He expressed confidence that his administration would be able to consistently generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, describing the target as practical and achievable through strategic reforms.
"We will be able to generate more than 10,000 megawatts. We are doing that today—we are generating more than 10,000—but we are not able to transmit that," he said.
"I said we will be able to generate more than 10,000, transmit and distribute that."
To address longstanding inefficiencies in the sector, Obi said his government would promote embedded power generation by encouraging decentralised electricity projects capable of supplying power directly to industrial clusters and major commercial centres.
He cited the success of Geometric Power in Aba as a model that could be replicated across the country, particularly in industrial hubs where reliable electricity is critical for manufacturing and economic growth.
According to him, expanding similar projects to cities such as Kano would revitalise industrial districts like Bompai and Sharada, boost productivity, create jobs and reduce dependence on the overstretched national grid.
Obi also identified the huge debts owed by the Federal Government to electricity generation companies as one of the major obstacles discouraging investment in the power sector.
He argued that restoring investor confidence would require the government to honour its financial obligations to power producers and implement policies capable of attracting fresh private investment.
"Today, the government owes generating companies trillions of naira. We must pay them," he stated.
The NDC presidential candidate further pledged to embrace transparency and accountability in governance, assuring Nigerians that his administration would be guided by realistic commitments rather than political rhetoric.
He said leaders must be prepared to explain challenges honestly whenever expectations cannot be met instead of making promises that are impossible to fulfil.
"Our politics must change; if I don't deliver what I promise, I will come out and explain to the people what is going wrong," Obi said.
His remarks come amid growing national debate over electricity supply, with businesses and households continuing to grapple with unreliable power, rising energy costs and the economic impact of persistent outages.
Stakeholders have repeatedly called for sustained investment in power generation, transmission infrastructure, distribution networks and regulatory reforms to unlock the full potential of Nigeria's electricity sector.
Obi's comments have added a new dimension to the ongoing discourse on governance and infrastructure, with his emphasis on realistic goal-setting and transparent leadership likely to feature prominently in discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
