Residents and businesses across major parts of Northeast Nigeria are expected to experience a temporary disruption in electricity supply next weekend following a planned maintenance exercise by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN.

The outage, which will affect electricity consumers in Bauchi, Gombe, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Yola, Jalingo and surrounding communities, is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, and end at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

According to TCN, the interruption is necessary to facilitate the installation of Optic Fibre and Ground Wire (OPGW) on the 330kV Jos–Bauchi–Gombe Single Circuit Transmission Line at the Bauchi 330/132/33kV Transmission Substation.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the maintenance work would temporarily prevent the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, and the Jos Electricity Distribution Company ,JEDC, from receiving bulk power for onward distribution to customers in the affected states.

The company explained that the OPGW installation forms part of efforts to strengthen the country’s transmission infrastructure by improving communication, system monitoring and overall grid reliability.

Although the planned outage will result in about 32 hours of interrupted electricity supply, TCN assured customers that bulk power would be restored immediately after the maintenance exercise is completed.

The temporary blackout is expected to affect households, healthcare facilities, educational institutions and businesses that depend on public power supply, with many likely to rely on alternative energy sources during the period.

Power interruptions remain a major challenge in several parts of the Northeast, making planned maintenance exercises particularly significant for consumers and businesses that depend on stable electricity for daily operations.

TCN, however, maintained that the exercise is essential for enhancing the efficiency, reliability and long-term stability of the national transmission network.

The company was observed to have also apologised to customers in the affected areas for the inconvenience, urging their understanding as the upgrade is carried out.

Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress, APC, 2027 governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, has said he has never met or talked to his running mate, Damilola Sonayon-James, before the party chose her for the role.

Hamzat shared this revelation during the public showing of “Who Is She?” At the Syrian Club Event Centre in Ikoyi area of the state.

He said that the choice of his deputy governorship candidate was made after discussions within the Lagos APC, following President Bola Tinubu’s request for the state chapter to select the candidate.

Hazmat said he suggested that the running mate should be a young woman, and the President agreed with that idea.

According to Hamzat, the president called and suggested that the matter be resolved.

He said: “The president called me and said, ‘You guys go and sort it out.’ I said, ‘Sir, I think it should be a female.’ He said, ‘It’s okay.’ I said, ‘It should be young.’ He said, ‘It’s okay.”

The APC governorship candidate said the party also took into account the state’s zoning plan when making their decision.

He said since he hails from Lagos East and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is from Lagos Central, people expected the deputy governor position to go to Lagos West.

Hamzat said he didn’t have a personal connection with Sonayon-James before she became the party’s deputy governorship candidate.

“Until Damilola was chosen, I didn’t know her phone number. I got her phone number from somebody,” he said.

He said that Sonayon-James, who is the deputy woman leader of the Lagos APC and comes from Badagry, was picked based on her abilities.