Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Tinubu to explain the reported distribution of 2026 model luxury sports utility vehicles worth more than ₦150 million each to All Progressives Congress youth leaders amid worsening economic hardship across Nigeria.
Atiku described the reported gifts as an insult to Nigerians struggling with rising food prices, transport costs and other basic needs, demanding full disclosure of who financed the vehicles and the total cost of the distribution.
In a statement issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku questioned claims by the APC National Youth Leader that the vehicles were donated by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
He asked whether the SUVs were purchased with the First Lady’s personal funds, private donations or public resources, insisting that Nigerians deserved clear answers about the source of the money.
According to Atiku, the Presidency must explain how such expensive gifts were funded at a time millions of families were struggling to afford food and transportation.
He argued that providing luxury vehicles to ruling party loyalists while citizens faced a cost of living crisis reflected misplaced priorities and what he described as executive recklessness.
Atiku also questioned the role of the First Lady in the reported distribution, arguing that the absence of an elected or executive position made transparency over the source of the funds particularly important.
He demanded that the government disclose the total cost of the vehicles and identify those responsible for financing their purchase and distribution.
The former vice president said that if the vehicles were privately funded, the source of the money should be made public. If public resources were involved, he said, the government must identify who approved the expenditure and the legal authority under which it was made.
Atiku further alleged that the reported distribution followed earlier reports of luxury vehicle gifts to APC women leaders, raising fresh questions about the use of wealth and influence to secure political loyalty.
He linked the reported gifts to wider concerns about hunger, insecurity and the continuing hardship faced by Nigerians, arguing that the government had yet to provide meaningful relief to struggling households.
The ADC presidential candidate also questioned what had happened to the savings from the removal of the petrol subsidy, demanding an explanation for how the government was managing the resources freed up by the policy.
He warned that public wealth must not be used to serve the interests of powerful individuals and political groups while ordinary citizens continued to struggle.
Atiku also drew attention to reports that the APC National Youth Leader had travelled by private jet, describing the reported display of privilege as sharply different from the economic realities facing many Nigerians.
He said public officials and political leaders should not treat questions about wealth and spending as an inconvenience, insisting that citizens had a right to demand accountability.
The former vice president extended his criticism to the President’s family, citing widely circulated images said to show Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu, wearing a Richard Mille RM 67 02 Sébastien Ogier watch valued at close to $500,000.
Atiku argued that such displays of wealth stood in contrast to calls for ordinary Nigerians to endure hardship and wait for economic relief.
He maintained that the reported luxury vehicle distribution required a clear public explanation, particularly given the country’s economic challenges and the pressure on households struggling to meet basic needs.
The Presidency’s explanation of the source of funding, the total expenditure and the authority behind the reported gifts remains central to the questions raised by Atiku.
