By Ayorinde Oluokun
The Vice-Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has excitedly announced that his electricity bill will drop from N4 million to N500,000 per month if his principal, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar wins the 2027 presidential election.
Amaechi said this while promising that Atiku will restore electricity subsidy if elected president in 2027 during campaign visits to communities in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, according to a report in Vanguard newspapers.
The former Rivers governors told people in the communities that Atiku will restore electricity subsidy if elected in 2027.
Amaechi also lamented that the gradual removal of electricity subsidy by the Bola Tinubu’s administration had led to a high electricity bill for consumers.
Using himself as example, the former governor noted that his monthly electricity bill had increased from had increased from N500,000 to N4 million.
He said this will be reversed if Atiku was elected President in 2027.
“My house electricity bill was N500,000; now I pay N4 million. Atiku said if he comes, I will go back to N500,000. No more Band A and B because government will subsidise it,” he said.
The ADC presidential candidate also accused the Tinubu administration of inflicting hardship on the people through the removal of petrol subsidy, which, according to him, has contributed to increases in transportation costs and prices of food items.
He added that this has also led to insecurity across the country.
“He (Tinubu) just held microphone and didn’t care. He just said remove subsidy. Since he removed subsidy, transportation increased, food prices increased — tomatoes, corn, everything,” Amaechi said.
He added that the situation will be reversed by Atiku if elected in 2027.
“Atiku said he will bring back subsidy. If Atiku brings back subsidy, everything will come down,” he said.
Recall that the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, had at a recent media interactive session in Lagos revealed that the Federal Government will phase out subsidy payments in the power sector from 2027.
He, however, said the subsidy will be gradually removed in a way that Nigerians will not be deprived of any benefits.
Tegbe also said the Federal Government has no immediate plans to increase electricity tariffs.
“We have the mandate of Mr. president to clear the legacy debt and come up with sustainale structures to make sure this doesn’t pile up any more,” Tegbe was quoted by the Cable to have said.
“I promise you, next year, by God’s grace, we will put a stop to this so-called subsidy in the power sector. Mr. presiden, we will not deprive Nigeria of anything. We’ll make sure Nigerian consumers continue to have power and improve power services,” Tegbe said.
