Utomi slams APC over luxury SUVs for youth leaders
Professor Pat Utomi has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the distribution of luxury sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to selected youth leaders, questioning the spending priorities of a government whose soldiers, he said, earn meagre salaries.
Utomi, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), made the remarks in posts on X on Sunday, following the circulation of a video showing APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel displaying brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs.
*SUV
Etim Ekpimah
Professor Pat Utomi has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the distribution of luxury sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to selected youth leaders, questioning the spending priorities of a government whose soldiers, he said, earn meagre salaries.
Utomi, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), made the remarks in posts on X on Sunday, following the circulation of a video showing APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel displaying brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs.
“Nigerian soldiers are being paid peanuts as salaries, yet an APC youth leader is flaunting SUVs worth billions of naira. This is the same government that told Nigerians there was no longer money in the treasury. At this point, they must think we are fools!” Utomi wrote.
In another post, the professor questioned whether the money spent on the vehicles could have been used to address urgent needs in the health sector.
“Each of the SUVs in this video costs more than ₦100 million. I wonder how many world-class ambulances the millions being spent on these vehicles could buy. What a pity!” he said.
The criticism followed a post by Israel in which he said the vehicles had been presented to selected youth leaders to support their mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Today, I presented a brand new 2026 Prado to my committed selected youth leaders to aid their election mobilisation activities,” Israel wrote.
He also thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for what he described as her continued support for the party’s structure under his leadership.
Israel added that the party would focus on delivering votes at the polling-unit level during the elections.
The video, which has since been deleted, drew criticism on social media, with some Nigerians questioning the timing of the vehicle distribution amid economic hardship.
Utomi’s comments have added to the debate over political spending and the priorities of the ruling party as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.
