As Nigerians await the manifestos of presidential candidates ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election, opposition figures and other citizens have renewed criticism of the Bola Tinubu administration, accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of failing to deliver on some of the promises made before the 2023 election.

President Bola Tinubu came into office with his Renewed Hope Agenda, promising to address insecurity, revive the economy, create jobs, improve electricity supply, reduce poverty and raise the standard of living of Nigerians.

While Tinubu and members of his administration maintain that the economic reforms introduced since 2023 have produced significant progress, opposition figures have rejected the assessment, arguing that the policies have instead increased economic hardship for millions of Nigerians.

The Federal Government has also described its infrastructure projects, investments and social intervention programmes across the country as transformative measures that are helping to strengthen and revive the Nigerian economy.

However, as another political season approaches, promises made during the 2023 election campaign have returned to the centre of public discussion, with critics questioning whether the gains being highlighted by the government are being felt by ordinary Nigerians.

Opposition figures have particularly criticised the removal of the petrol subsidy and the floating of the naira, blaming the policies for worsening the economic difficulties faced by households across the country.

According to the IMF’s 2026 Article IV consultation, poverty had reached 63 per cent at the national poverty line, while economic conditions remained challenging for many Nigerians.

Tinubu’s promises in 2022

PulseNets learnt that in 2022, Tinubu released an 80-page policy document containing an eight-point agenda, setting out his plans for Nigeria if elected president.

The manifesto contained promises covering job creation, electricity, security, infrastructure, agriculture and other key areas, raising expectations that economic challenges inherited from the previous administration would be addressed.

Among the commitments contained in the eight-point agenda was a pledge to create millions of jobs for unemployed Nigerian youths while reviving other sectors of the economy.

Although available economic indicators point to improvements in some areas, critics have maintained that many Nigerians continue to experience severe financial pressure.

Job creation

In his 2022 campaign document, Tinubu pledged that, if elected president, he would “build a Nigeria, especially for our youth, where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life”.

He also promised to support young Nigerians and women by “harnessing emerging sectors such as the digital economy, entertainment and culture, tourism and others to build the Nigeria of tomorrow, today”.

Statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that Nigeria’s official unemployment rate, which stood at 5.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, had fallen to between about 4.3 per cent and 4.9 per cent in 2026.

Despite the decline in the official unemployment rate, opposition parties have argued that unemployment and underemployment remain major concerns for Nigerians.

Affordable electricity

Electricity supply was another major promise contained in Tinubu’s 2022 manifesto.

The President pledged to “generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the requisite power to enlighten their lives, their homes, and their very dreams”.

During the campaign, Tinubu also challenged Nigerians not to vote for him for a second term if his administration failed to provide constant electricity supply.

In a video that has continued to circulate online, the President was seen telling supporters that electricity supply must become constant and that promises made to Nigerians must be fulfilled.

He said, “by all means necessary, you must have electricity and you will not pay for an estimated bill anymore. If I don’t keep the promise and I come back for the second term, don’t vote for me”.

Although the frequency of national grid collapses recorded under previous administrations has reportedly reduced, some Nigerians who spoke to PulseNets dismissed suggestions that electricity supply had improved significantly.

Residents in different parts of the country have continued to complain about unreliable power supply, with some communities reportedly experiencing prolonged periods without electricity.

Security

Before his election victory in 2023, Tinubu also promised a comprehensive approach to the country’s security challenges.

His manifesto pledged to establish a “bold and assertive policy that will create a strong yet adaptive national security architecture and action to obliterate terror, kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of violent extremism from the face of our nation”.

However, critics argue that insecurity has remained a serious challenge during the first three years of the Tinubu administration.

PulseNets learnt that at least 750 people were killed by terrorists in 2025, while several other Nigerians were reportedly forced from their ancestral communities as a result of attacks by terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups.

Nigeria was also recently ranked as the fourth-worst country globally in terms of the impact of terrorism.

Since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, about 12,365 kidnapping incidents have reportedly been recorded across the country.

A total of 842 people have reportedly been killed in 156 incidents recorded so far this year.

At least nine mass abductions have also been recorded during the Tinubu administration, involving 551 schoolchildren and staff who were reportedly kidnapped for ransom.

Against this backdrop, some Nigerians who spoke to PulseNets warned the APC against approaching the 2027 election with what they described as another round of unfulfilled promises.

‘They made Nigerians poor and enriched themselves’

Speaking to PulseNets, immediate past Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State, Leader Sampson, accused the Tinubu administration of failing to fulfil its campaign promises.

He alleged that rather than delivering the promised Renewed Hope, the administration had worsened the economic condition of ordinary Nigerians while government officials benefited.

“Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda has only succeeded in impoverishing Nigerians. They have only enriched themselves and that’s all about the hope agenda”, he said.

Sampson linked the economic hardship to some of the administration’s major policies, particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“Look at the issue of fuel subsidy, from the very first day Tinubu came into power, he announced that subsidy was gone and that very day, the petroleum pump price jumped up and fuel stations started shutting down. That is where Nigerians’ problems began till today.

“There is nothing they have done that gave hope to the ordinary Nigerian. This government failed in security. Every day you keep hearing abuse mass abduction killing and all of that.

“They keep saying that they are making progress in security yet we keep seeing more insecurity everyday. The government has done virtually nothing to improve the lives of Nigerians.

“You can’t travel by air because of the hike in airfare prices and you can’t move by road because of insecurity. It is a terrible situation that we have been.

“Tinubu told us that if he cannot provide electricity, we should not vote for him and we are going to do exactly what he said”, Sampson stated.

‘They want to lie again’

Political analyst and grassroots mobiliser Aaron Akogwu told PulseNets that the APC would face difficulties convincing Nigerians ahead of the 2027 election.

He argued that the ruling party would struggle to explain what had happened to the promises made during the 2023 campaign.

“You can’t give what you don’t have. APC people have no single truth in their mouths. Like 2Baba said in one of his hit songs, it’s like they want to tell us another story again.

“The campaign is going to be difficult for them because what are they going to say to the people? The promises you made before we brought you in, have you been able to keep them? Are we expecting a new lie?” he questioned.

‘They only removed fuel, electricity subsidy from the poor and gave to the rich’

Nigerian businessman Prince Isaac Fayose also dismissed claims that the Nigerian economy had significantly improved under Tinubu, arguing that the administration’s policies had disproportionately benefited wealthy Nigerians.

Fayose alleged that the APC government “removed subsidy from fuel and electricity from the poor and gave it to the rich. At a time, I agreed that subsidy must go but I never knew that they would take the subsidy away and replace it with them living large.

“The subsidy that was supposed to go to the common man is what they are now using to buy jets, that’s what they are now giving to the governors that are not working.

“Despite the subsidy removal, roads to Ekiti, Osun and others are impassable. They are now boasting of cash transfer to the poor. How much is the cash? N5,000 is less than $50. What business can someone do with that?

“Go to the North and see how people are suffering. People that spent billions of naira during the Osun election are now boasting of N50,000 cash transfer. Nigerians need to wake up and take their country back”.

However, the Federal Government has continued to defend the economic direction of the Tinubu administration.

Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele on Saturday described Moody’s Ratings’ latest assessment of Nigeria’s economic outlook as an important external validation of what he described as the difficult but necessary reforms implemented by the Tinubu administration.

Also Read: Tinubu Gives Four Reasons FBI Records From 1993 Investigation Should Remain Sealed

Moody’s, in a rating released on Friday, upgraded Nigeria’s outlook from ‘stable’ to ‘positive’.

In a statement made available to journalists, Oyedele said the Federal Government’s next objective was to move Nigeria towards what he described as investment-grade status.

With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the competing claims over economic reforms, insecurity, employment, electricity and living standards are expected to remain central to the political debate as Nigerians assess the records and promises of the major political parties.