A video showing a fleet of brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs presented to selected youth leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked widespread outrage, with opposition figures accusing the party of flaunting wealth while Nigerians struggle with hardship.
The video was posted on Sunday, October 25, by Dayo Israel, the APC’s National Youth Leader, on his X account. He deleted it about three hours later after a wave of criticism, but screenshots and recordings have continued to circulate.
What Dayo Israel Said
In the post, Israel said he had presented “brand new 2026 Prado” SUVs to his “committed selected youth leaders.” According to reports, seven vehicles were involved, and they were meant to support the recipients’ grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Israel thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for her “continuous support to the party structure” and said the party would “deliver polling unit by polling unit.” Some reports have described the vehicles as a donation from the First Lady, while others say Israel only thanked her for her support. Neither the First Lady’s office nor Israel has publicly explained who paid for the vehicles, and Israel has not explained why he deleted the post.
Utomi: “They Must Think We Are Fools”
Professor Pat Utomi, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), was among the first to react. On X, he contrasted the luxury vehicles with the pay of Nigerian soldiers, saying they “are being paid peanuts as salaries” while the government had claimed there was no longer money in the treasury.
Utomi said each SUV in the video costs more than ₦100 million and asked how many “world-class ambulances” the money could have bought. In comments reported by Arise News, he described the vehicles as an insult to soldiers.
Sowore: Money Could Pay 2,200 Workers
Activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore also condemned the move. According to Arise News, Sowore said the roughly ₦1.1 billion reportedly spent on the vehicles could pay 2,200 workers a monthly minimum wage of ₦500,000.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also called on the Presidency to disclose the source of the funds.
How Much Do the SUVs Cost?
The exact cost has not been disclosed. Market estimates cited by BusinessDay put a new 2026 Prado at between ₦120 million and ₦160 million in Nigeria, which would put the price of seven vehicles at roughly ₦840 million to over ₦1.1 billion. These figures are estimates, not a confirmed invoice.
Nigerians React
On social media, many Nigerians questioned the timing, pointing to high food prices, unpaid health workers and the cost of living crisis. Some users asked how many primary healthcare centres or student loans the money could have funded, while others said the video showed a growing disconnect between political leaders and ordinary citizens.
Political parties in Nigeria routinely provide vehicles and other logistics for their campaign mobilisers, and there is no evidence so far that public funds were used. However, critics insist that the source of the money must be made public, especially given the First Lady’s reported involvement.
What Happens Next
As of Tuesday, the APC had not issued an official statement on the controversy. With the 2027 election campaigns heating up, the debate over campaign spending, transparency and the use of state resources is likely to continue.
Flashinfong will update this story if the APC, Dayo Israel or the First Lady’s office responds.
Sources: Arise News; Premium Times; The Sun; Pulse Nigeria; Vanguard.