Paul Ibe demands APC explain 7 Prado SUVs given to youth leaders, questions First Lady's involvement
Paul Ibe, media aide to ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, is challenging the APC to explain the funding behind seven brand-new Toyota Prado SUVs distributed to youth leaders by National Youth Leader Dayo Israel. Israel announced the donation on X today, thanking First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for her support and stating the vehicles would aid election mobilization "polling unit by polling unit."
Ibe demands transparency on who paid for the vehicles, the funding source, and beneficiary identities. He specifically questions whether public funds or government assets were used for what appears to be party campaign operations. "The Nigerian treasury is not the APC's campaign purse, and the Presidency must not become the ruling party's election-financing machinery," Ibe stated.
He has called on the EFCC and INEC to investigate whether the arrangement complies with campaign-finance laws. Ibe also noted that deleting the social media post would not end accountability demands.
Each Prado SUV typically costs between ₦50-80 million, making the fleet worth an estimated ₦350-560 million. Campaign finance regulations prohibit use of public resources for partisan political activities.
With elections approaching, will the APC disclose the funding source, or will EFCC and INEC step in to verify compliance?