Professor Pat Utomi, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the distribution of luxury Toyota Prado sport utility vehicles to selected party youth leaders, questioning the expenditure amid concerns about Nigerian soldiers’ welfare and access to healthcare.

Utomi expressed his displeasure in posts on X on Sunday, October 25, after APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel shared a video showing brand-new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs presented to selected youth leaders to support the party’s mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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In one of his posts, Utomi contrasted the reported cost of the vehicles with what he described as the poor salaries of Nigerian military personnel.

“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!” he wrote.

The professor also questioned whether the resources used for the vehicles could have been directed towards emergency medical services and other essential public needs.

“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!” Utomi added.

The controversy followed Israel’s announcement that he had presented the vehicles to selected youth leaders to strengthen their election mobilisation activities.

“Today, I presented 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 APC’s youth structure.

“The party is supreme and that supremacy will show in our action in this election period — we will deliver polling unit by polling unit,” he added.

The video showed seven Toyota Prado SUVs and was later deleted after attracting criticism on social media.

Several Nigerians questioned the timing of the distribution against the backdrop of rising living costs and economic pressures affecting households across the country.

The First Lady subsequently confirmed that she had donated SUVs to the APC National Youth Wing to support grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections, according to reports by Premium Times.

However, the exact purchase price of the vehicles and the full details of their funding were not disclosed in Israel’s original post.

The episode has renewed debate about political party spending and the competing demands for resources in security, healthcare and other public services.

Utomi’s remarks centre on whether the reported expenditure reflects appropriate priorities at a time when concerns persist about military welfare and the cost of living.