First Lady confirms SUVs for APC youth after Prado video sparks anger

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has confirmed that her office gave vehicles to the APC youth wing for its 2027 campaign. Her confirmation came hours after the party's National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, posted a video of seven new 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs he said he had handed to selected youth leaders, then deleted it after a wave of criticism online.

In the post on X on Sunday 25 October, Israel said the vehicles were meant to help the youth leaders with “election mobilisation” and thanked the First Lady for her support for the party structure. Premium Times reported that he deleted it about three hours later, but copies of the video kept spreading on X and Facebook.

Later that day, Mrs Tinubu met regional APC youth leaders at the State House in Abuja. According to Premium Times and NAN, she said her office had donated utility vehicles and would also provide campaign materials and footwear. She told the youth leaders to focus on real results at the grassroots rather than on social media.

Speaking after the meeting, Israel said the vehicles would help the youth wing reach rural communities with difficult roads, especially in the South-East and South-West. He said the aim was to tell voters about the government's work on health, education and welfare, such as the student loan scheme. He also said all pro-Tinubu support groups, including the City Boy Movement, PBAT, Door to Door and Tinubu Again, should work through the official party structure.

Neither Israel nor the First Lady's office has said how much the vehicles cost or where the money came from. The opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) put the price at about ₦145 million each, or roughly ₦1.015 billion for seven, Vanguard and Leadership reported. That figure is the party's own estimate.

Critics say the gift looks out of touch at a time when families are struggling with food prices. Paul Ibe, media aide to ADC candidate Atiku Abubakar, asked who paid for the vehicles and called on the EFCC and INEC to check whether campaign finance rules were followed, Daily Post reported. NDC chieftain Pat Utomi compared the cost with the pay of Nigerian soldiers, according to Vanguard.

Supporters of the gift say parties have always given their mobilisers vehicles during campaigns, and that strong vehicles are needed to reach remote areas. The First Lady's office has not said whether any public funds were involved.

Pidgin: First Lady Oluremi Tinubu don confirm say im office give APC youth wing motor for 2027 campaign. Dis one come after APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel post video of seven new 2026 Prado SUV wey e share give some youth leaders, then e delete am when people vex for social media. Nobody don talk how much the motors cost or who pay.

How this affects you: Campaign spending is now one of the big issues of the 2027 race. Nigeria's Electoral Act places limits on how much candidates can spend and requires parties to account for their campaign money, so it matters who paid for these vehicles. Expect more questions about campaign spending from all sides before the January 2027 vote.