NDC faults APC over Prado SUVs for youth leaders, puts cost at ₦1.015bn
- The APC's youth leader, Dayo Israel, said he handed new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs to selected youth leaders for election work.
- The opposition NDC counted seven vehicles in his video and priced them at about ₦1.015 billion.
- The party said the spending clashes with the hardship it says Nigerians face under President Tinubu.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has attacked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over new Toyota Prado SUVs given to some of its youth leaders, saying the gift sits badly with the economic pain many Nigerians are going through.
The vehicles were announced by the APC's National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, who said in a video post that he had handed brand-new 2026 Prados to youth leaders picked to help with election mobilisation. He thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for what he called her continued backing of the party structure under his leadership, and said the APC would work polling unit by polling unit.
The NDC replied on X. It said it counted seven of the SUVs in Israel's video and put each at about ₦145 million, which works out to roughly ₦1.015 billion for the seven. The party added that the real number of vehicles could be higher.
That figure is the NDC's own estimate, based on its count and its price for the model. Neither the APC nor Israel has published what the vehicles cost or who paid for them.
What the parties are saying
The opposition party said the money showed a government out of touch with ordinary people. It argued that Nigerians were being told to accept tough reforms while, in its words, taxpayers' money funds the comfort of politicians.
“We cannot continue like this,” the NDC said, urging Nigerians to remove the Tinubu administration in 2027.
The party also used the row to push its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saying he is committed to bringing down the cost of government. It asked voters to back him for what it called a country that works for everyone, not just a corrupt few.
Israel's post framed the SUVs as a practical step for party organising ahead of the election. The APC has not responded to the NDC's figures.
Why it matters
For many Nigerians, the argument is about priorities. Food, fuel and transport costs remain the top concern in most homes, and any report of big spending by officials or parties tends to draw sharp reaction.
The exchange also sets the tone for the run-up to 2027, with the opposition tying the ruling party to the cost of governance and the APC stressing grassroots mobilisation.
What happens next: Expect the APC to answer the pricing claim, and watch whether the NDC turns the SUV row into a wider campaign against government spending.
