Paul Ibe, media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to disclose the source of funding for seven brand-new Toyota Prado SUVs reportedly distributed to selected youth leaders for election mobilisation.
Ibe raised the concerns in a post on X following an announcement by APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, who said he had presented the vehicles to selected youth leaders and acknowledged the support of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu.
Israel said the vehicles would strengthen the party’s election mobilisation efforts, adding that the APC was determined to “deliver polling unit by polling unit.”
Reacting, Ibe called on the First Lady, Israel and the APC to disclose who financed the vehicles, the source of the funds and the identities of the beneficiaries.
He also questioned whether public funds or government assets were used in the distribution.
The ADC chieftain urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to examine the funding arrangements and determine whether they complied with applicable campaign-finance laws.
“The Nigerian treasury is not the APC’s campaign purse, and the Presidency must not become the ruling party’s election-financing machinery,” Ibe said.
He further maintained that deleting the social media post, if done, would not end calls for transparency and accountability.
“Deleting the post cannot delete the demand for accountability,” he added.
The controversy has raised questions about the funding and purpose of the vehicle distribution, with Ibe demanding public disclosure of the arrangements surrounding the reported donation.
