Former presidential candidate, who is also a former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has attributed Nigeria’s perennial national grid collapse and worsening electricity crisis to persistent leadership failures.

Obi made the remarks in a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, referencing the latest grid collapse.

He pointed out that the problem has been recurring, with multiple of collapse recorded in 2025, and now the crisis has returned in January 2026.

The former presidential candidate highlighted the long-standing underperformance of Nigeria’s power sector, describing it as unacceptable for Africa’s most populous nation.

Obi noted that for three consecutive years—from 2023 through 2025—Nigeria has been ranked as the country with the lowest access to electricity worldwide, leaving nearly 100 million citizens without reliable power.

What Obi is saying 

Obi expressed deep disappointment over Nigeria’s energy situation and emphasized the urgent need for competent leadership in the sector.

“In January 2025, we witnessed the first grid collapse of that year, which was followed by several other collapses. Now in January 2026, the national shame has commenced again with yesterday’s collapse,” he said.

“This power crisis is a direct result of continuous leadership failures. The power sector is critical and requires competent and committed leadership to thrive,” Obi added.

Obi urged Nigerians to prioritise leadership qualities such as competence, accountability, and empathy in future elections.

He stressed that the power sector is crucial for industrialisation, business growth, and improving the quality of life for citizens, and warned that anything less than strong leadership is unacceptable.

Backstory 

Nairametrics reported yesterday that Nigeria was plunged into darkness following the collapse of the national electricity grid, marking the first system failure recorded in 2026.

Data obtained from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that power generation across the country dropped to 0 megawatts (MW) at about 1:00 pm, indicating a total shutdown of the grid.

The collapse triggered widespread blackouts in many parts of the country, with electricity distribution companies forced to shut down supply to customers as a result of the system failure.

What you should know 

The NISO says Friday’s nationwide power outage was caused by a system-wide disturbance from multiple 330kV transmission line trips and the disconnection of some grid-connected generating units.

NISO said preliminary findings from its operational assessment point to multiple failures on the high-voltage transmission network, which ultimately destabilised the entire system.

Nigeria’s national grid has experienced repeated partial and total collapses in recent years, raising concerns among industry stakeholders and electricity consumers.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates out of the 68 confirmed by the Senate last December.

The approvals were conveyed in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, dated January 22, 2024.

According to the statement, Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been posted as ambassador-designate to France, while Colonel Lateef Are has been posted as ambassador-designate to the United States of America.

Also confirmed by the President is the posting of Ambassador Amin Dalhatu, former ambassador to South Korea, as the high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.

Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, former governor of Kebbi, is the ambassador-designate to Turkey, where the President is scheduled to begin a state visit next week.

In a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tinubu urged the ministry to notify the governments of the four countries about the ambassador-designates, in accordance with diplomatic procedures.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reportedly affirmed the removal of Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, LP.

The Court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognize the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the party’s lawful leadership.

The development was disclosed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, in a post on X, where he said he was present at the Federal High Court when the judgment was delivered in a related case.

Effiong stated that Justice Lifu delivering judgment on Wednesday, upheld the Nenadi Usman-led committee as the only valid and lawful leadership of the Labour Party, reaffirming that Abure’s tenure had elapsed in line with an earlier Supreme Court judgment.

The court consequently directed INEC to immediately recognize Nenadi Usman as the party’s leader.

He wrote: “I am currently before the Federal High Court in Abuja for a case. I listened to judgement delivered in an another case.

“Honourable Justice Lifu has just upheld Senator Nnadi Esther Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the only valid and lawful leadership of the Labour Party.

“The Judge reaffirmed that by the Supreme Court’s judgement, Julius Abure’s tenure had since elapsed.