Utomi, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), expressed his concerns in posts on X on Sunday, arguing that the reported vehicle presentation raised questions about the government’s spending priorities.

He contrasted the display of expensive SUVs by the APC’s National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, with what he described as inadequate salaries for Nigerian soldiers. Utomi also questioned the government’s ability to justify such spending while many citizens continue to face economic hardship.

In a separate post, the professor argued that the money spent on the vehicles could potentially have been directed towards public services, particularly healthcare. He pointed to the need for emergency medical services and questioned how many ambulances the expenditure could have funded.

Utomi’s comments followed a video shared by Israel showing new 2026 Toyota Prado SUVs. Israel said the vehicles were presented to selected youth leaders to support the party’s election mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Israel also thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for what he described as her continued support for the APC’s party structure under his leadership. He said the party would focus on grassroots mobilisation and seek support at polling-unit level.

The video reportedly attracted criticism on social media, with some Nigerians questioning the timing of the vehicle presentation against the backdrop of economic pressures and demands for greater accountability in public spending. Reports said the video was later deleted.

However, the vehicle presentation alone does not establish that public funds were used to purchase the SUVs. The vehicles’ actual purchase price, funding source and the full details of the arrangement have not been independently confirmed.

Utomi’s intervention has added to the political debate over the reported distribution, with his remarks focusing on whether expensive campaign-related spending should take priority over issues such as military welfare, healthcare and other public needs.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia