APC’s Web of Lies: Broken Promises, Dead Refineries and the Battle for 2027.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com

Despite $3 billion sunk into “reviving” Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries, Nigerians still buy fuel like beggars at a banquet.

Since coming to power in 2015, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has mastered the art of propaganda. Every hardship is rebranded as sacrifice, every failure repackaged as reform and every empty promise sold as “next-level change.” But propaganda, no matter how loudly it is screamed, cannot put food on the table or fuel in the tank.

Nigerians are no longer buying it. The APC has built a political machine that runs on lies, deception and carefully manufactured illusions, but reality always catches up. In the southwest, a region once hypnotized by Tinubu’s political wizardry, the disillusionment is thick in the air. 2027 is around the corner and Nigerians, bruised by years of falsehoods, are preparing to respond.

The $3 Billion Refinery Mirage.
Between 2021 and 2023, the federal government approved over $3 billion for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries. Contracts were awarded, announcements were made and glossy presentations painted a picture of an imminent industrial rebirth. The then-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, confidently told Nigerians that “the Port Harcourt refinery will begin partial operations by December 2022.”

Yet here we are in late 2025:

Port Harcourt Refinery – repeatedly declared “70% completed” in press releases but still not operational.

Warri Refinery – silent as a graveyard, despite “ongoing rehabilitation.”

Kaduna Refinery – perpetually in the pipeline of promises, with zero fuel refined in over a decade.

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) estimates that over $25 billion has been spent on refineries in the past 25 years, with nothing to show for it. That is not mismanagement; it is an industrial-scale scam.

Professor Pat Utomi, political economist, captured it aptly: “Nigerians are victims of a state that eats its own people. These refinery turn-around projects are not about energy security; they are about political rent and patronage.”

Lies, Lies and More Lies.
The APC propaganda machine thrives on repetition. They said subsidy removal would end fuel scarcity (yet Nigerians still queue at filling stations. They said refineries would work by 2023) it is 2025 and nothing has changed. They said hardship would be temporary, inflation has climbed to 33% and food inflation sits at over 40%, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Every administration under APC has promised industrial revival, but what Nigerians get is imported fuel, collapsing naira and empty stomachs. As Fela Anikulapo-Kuti once sang: “Na confusion break bone.” APC has weaponized confusion to mask its failures.

The Pain on the Streets.
Step into any market in Lagos, Ibadan or Akure and you will hear the same refrain: “We are tired.”

Transport costs have doubled. A bag of rice sells above ₦80,000. Parents withdraw children from schools because tuition is unaffordable. Workers spend half their salaries on fuel and transport. The World Bank in its 2025 mid-year report confirmed that over 71 million Nigerians now live below the poverty line, the highest in Africa.

Yet, government officials move around in convoys of luxury SUVs, feeding fat on state resources while preaching “sacrifice” to the poor.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, warned in a recent lecture: “You cannot reform your way into prosperity if trust is absent. Citizens must believe that government sacrifices alongside them.” But APC’s leaders have shown no sacrifice, only excess.

The Southwest Wakes Up.
The irony is sharpest in the southwest, the political fortress of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For years, Tinubu built his empire on the claim that he was the “architect of modern Lagos” and the pathfinder for Nigeria’s future. His word was gospel; his endorsement was victory. But hunger has no tribal loyalty.

Today, Yoruba traders, transporters and students are openly questioning APC’s failures. In 2023, Tinubu campaigned with the slogan “Renewed Hope.” Two years later, the only thing renewed is hopelessness.

As Yoruba elder statesman Ayo Adebanjo of Afenifere famously said: “You can deceive some people for some time, but you cannot deceive all the people forever.” The southwest, once APC’s most reliable voting bloc, is drifting into rebellion.

The 2027 Question.
With elections looming in 2027, APC faces its greatest test yet. The propaganda that worked in 2015 and 2019 may not work this time. Nigerians are wiser, angrier and more desperate. The opposition is sharpening its weapons and civil society groups are mobilizing.

Political scientist Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim argues: “The APC’s survival in 2027 depends not on propaganda but on tangible results. Nigerians are exhausted. They want food, fuel, jobs not excuses.”

The stakes are higher in the southwest. If APC loses its grip there, its national dominance will collapse. Tinubu knows this, which is why his government pushes endless media campaigns to mask failures. Propaganda cannot cover empty stomachs.

What Should Have Been Done.
Instead of wasting $3 billion on phantom refinery repairs, the government could have:

Privatized the Refineries Properly – Allow credible investors to run them transparently.

Supported Modular Refineries – Small-scale refineries across the Niger Delta have proven capacity but face regulatory strangulation.

Diversified the Energy Sector – Invest in solar, gas, and renewable sources, reducing reliance on imported petrol.

Plugged Corruption – NEITI’s reports reveal billions lost yearly to oil theft and opaque contracts. Accountability, not propaganda, should have been the priority.

As former U.S. President Barack Obama once said: “Africa doesn’t need strong men, it needs strong institutions.” Nigeria’s refinery failure is proof that strong men without strong institutions will always fail.

The Way Forward.
Nigeria cannot afford another four years of PROPAGANDA-DRIVEN GOVERNANCE. The people must demand accountability for every kobo spent on the refineries. Independent audits should be published. Those who looted funds under the guise of “rehabilitation” must face justice.

Civil society, opposition parties and ordinary Nigerians must unite to break APC’s cycle of deception. 2027 must not be about ethnic loyalty or propaganda slogans; it must be about survival, truth and competence.

As Chinua Achebe reminded us in The Trouble with Nigeria: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” Unless leadership rooted in honesty and vision emerges, the APC’s reign will be remembered as an era of lies, waste and national betrayal.

Ultimate Verdict.
The APC has thrived on lies for too long, but every lie has an expiry date. Nigerians are not fools; they are victims of a ruthless system. The $3 billion refinery mirage is a symbol of APC’s deception; shiny on paper, hollow in reality.

In 2027, the people will have their say. When that day comes, APC’s propaganda may no longer be enough to shield it from the truth.