Dr Abubakar Hidima has raised questions over the reported presentation of brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs to selected youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the development as another troubling example of the cost of Nigeria’s political mobilisation.
Writing on X, Hidima said he noticed that APC National Youth Leader, Honorable Dayo Israel, had deleted a video in which he appeared to celebrate the presentation of the vehicles to selected youth leaders for election mobilisation activities.
According to the post shared by Israel, he wrote: “Today, I presented brand new 2026 Prado to my committed selected youth leaders to aid their election mobilisation activities.”
He also expressed appreciation to First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, whom he referred to as his “Mummy”, for what he described as her continuous support for the party structure under his leadership.
Israel concluded the post with a strong declaration about the APC’s electoral strategy, saying the party’s supremacy would be demonstrated through its actions during the election period and that it would “deliver polling unit by polling unit.”
The development has since generated questions about the source of funding for the vehicles, their ownership, their beneficiaries and whether public funds were involved.
Hidima questioned how the vehicles were financed and what budgetary provision, if any, was used to acquire them.
The controversy is particularly significant because the vehicles were reportedly presented specifically to support election mobilisation. The Tribune reported that a video accompanying Israel’s announcement showed seven vehicles on display.
Reports have also placed the value of the vehicles at hundreds of millions of naira. Vanguard reported that the opposition New Nigeria Development Coalition (NDC) estimated the seven SUVs at about ₦1 billion, based on its assessment of their average value.
However, the exact purchase price, source of funding and legal ownership of the vehicles have not been independently established in the reports reviewed. Consequently, claims that the vehicles were purchased with public funds or that any individual involved “looted” government money remain allegations requiring evidence.
What is not in dispute is the political context. Dayo Israel is the APC’s National Youth Leader, a position he has held since 2022, and his responsibilities include youth mobilisation and engagement within the party.
That makes the stated purpose of the vehicles particularly noteworthy. The vehicles were not presented as ordinary personal gifts; Israel explicitly linked them to election mobilisation.
This raises a broader question about Nigeria’s political culture: How much should political parties and their supporters spend on election mobilisation, and where should the line be drawn between legitimate party financing and the use of resources that ought to be subjected to public accountability?
Hidima further questioned whether institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Senate and the House of Representatives would examine the circumstances surrounding the vehicles.
Those questions deserve answers—not necessarily because the presentation itself proves wrongdoing, but because transparency is essential whenever large sums of money are deployed for political activities.
If the vehicles were privately funded, Nigerians deserve to know who provided the funds and under what arrangement. If they were donated, the identity of the donor and the nature of the donation should be clear. If party funds were used, the relevant financial records and approvals should provide the necessary explanation. And if public resources were involved, the matter would warrant an even higher level of scrutiny.
For Hidima, however, the episode represents something much larger than seven luxury SUVs. He described it as a symptom of what he called “the disaster of NADECO democracy”, arguing that Nigeria’s political system continues to place enormous resources around electoral contests while millions of citizens struggle with economic hardship.
The Prado controversy therefore leaves Nigerians with a fundamental question: Are political parties mobilising people for democracy, or are they increasingly using enormous financial incentives to mobilise electoral structures?
Only transparent answers about the source, ownership and financing of the vehicles can settle that debate.
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