Atiku Demands Explanation Over ₦150m SUVs Reportedly Gifted to APC Youth Leaders

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to explain the reported distribution of 2026-model luxury sport utility vehicles (SUVs), each allegedly worth more than ₦150 million, to youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), amid widespread concerns over hunger, rising living costs and economic hardship.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, questioned the source of funding for the vehicles, demanding transparency over who financed the gifts and whether public resources were involved.

In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku described the reported distribution as an example of excessive political spending at a time when many Nigerians are struggling to afford basic necessities.

According to the statement, the APC National Youth Leader reportedly attributed the vehicles to donations from First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.

Atiku insisted that Nigerians deserved to know whether the vehicles were purchased with private funds, donations or public money.

“The Presidency must provide a clear account. Nigerians cannot be expected to accept a fleet of extraordinarily expensive vehicles for party loyalists without knowing who financed them,” the statement said.

The former vice-president questioned the government’s spending priorities, arguing that the reported gifts had raised concerns about the contrast between the privileges enjoyed by political party officials and the economic difficulties confronting ordinary citizens.

He also demanded disclosure of the total cost of the vehicles and, if public funds were used, the identity of those who authorised the expenditure and the legal basis for such spending.

The ADC presidential campaign council further alleged that APC women leaders had previously received luxury vehicles, raising questions about what it described as a pattern of expensive gifts to party officials.

Atiku’s camp also linked the controversy to broader concerns about insecurity and the government’s response to the hardship facing Nigerians, arguing that the administration should demonstrate greater transparency in the use of resources.

The statement questioned whether the reported distribution was intended to secure political loyalty, insisting that public resources, where involved, must be accounted for.

“Nigeria cannot be run as a captured state, where wealth and influence serve the powerful while ordinary citizens are left to struggle,” the statement said.

The ADC-PCC also raised questions about reports that the APC National Youth Leader travels by private jet, arguing that the image of luxury stood in contrast to the economic realities facing many young Nigerians.

It further cited widely circulated photographs of Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, wearing a Richard Mille RM 67-02 Sébastien Ogier wristwatch, which the statement claimed was worth close to $500,000.

Atiku’s camp argued that such displays of wealth had intensified questions about privilege and public accountability while the government continued to urge Nigerians to endure economic hardship.

The former vice-president called on the Presidency to provide clear answers about the source of funding for the reported vehicle gifts, stressing that Nigerians had a right to demand transparency over spending involving public resources.

The claims about the vehicles’ value, their funding and the circumstances surrounding their distribution were presented by Atiku’s camp and require independent verification. The Presidency’s response to the allegations was not included in the statement.