The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, says he will not promise Nigerians uninterrupted electricity within a single four-year term if elected president, describing such a commitment as unrealistic
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, July 26, 2026, Obi said fixing Nigeria’s power sector would remain a top priority of his administration, but achieving nationwide 24-hour electricity in four years would not be feasible because of the time required to build critical infrastructure.
He said: “I will not tell Nigerians I am going to give them reliable, stable, 24-hour electricity within four years because it is impossible.
“If you want to build a power plant, it will take about four years. If you want to improve the transmission network, that also takes years.”
Instead of making what he described as unrealistic promises, Obi said his administration would focus on improving electricity generation, transmission and distribution to deliver more reliable power across the country.
The former two-term governor of Anambra State pledged to ensure Nigeria can consistently generate, transmit, and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, stressing that the country’s biggest challenge is not power generation but the inability to evacuate and distribute available electricity.
“We will be able to generate more than 10,000 megawatts. We are already generating more than that today, but we cannot transmit it. Our goal is to generate, transmit and distribute that power effectively,” he said.
Obi added that he would also promote embedded power projects by replicating successful decentralised electricity models in major industrial centres.
Obi pointed to the Geometric Power project in Aba as a model that could be extended to manufacturing hubs such as Bompai and Sharada in Kano to boost industrial productivity.
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Obi also pledged to restore investor confidence in the electricity sector by clearing outstanding debts owed by the federal government to electricity generation companies.
According to him, the government’s failure to settle obligations running into trillions of naira has discouraged investment in the industry.
“Today, the government owes generating companies trillions of naira. We must pay them,” the former governor said.
Obi added that his administration would be guided by transparency and realistic governance, promising not to make commitments that cannot be achieved within a single presidential term.
“Our politics must change. If I fail to deliver on what I promise, I will come out and explain to Nigerians what went wrong,” he said.