By Habeeb Ibrahim
The Forum of All Progressives Congress (APC) State Youth Leaders has given the party’s National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, 24 hours to apologise over claims that cars were distributed to state youth leaders, threatening to disassociate themselves from activities coordinated by his office.
The forum, comprising youth leaders from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, also passed a vote of no confidence in Israel, accusing him of sidelining elected state officials and running the party’s youth wing without adequate consultation.
The demands were contained in a communiqué dated October 26, 2026, addressed to the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda.
The dispute comes amid controversy over seven brand-new 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUVs that Israel announced he had presented to selected party youth leaders for election mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Israel had thanked First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for her support in a post on X, which was later deleted following public criticism. He subsequently told the International Centre for Investigative Reporting that the vehicles were gifts from donors, denying that they were funded through government allocations or taxpayers’ money.
‘We Didn’t Receive Any Car’
In a particularly strong demand, the state youth leaders insisted that none of their members received vehicles from Israel or his associates.
They demanded an apology within 24 hours over what they described as false accusations that cars had been distributed to state youth leaders, warning that they would take their grievances to the press if he failed to comply.
“We didn’t receive any car from Dayo Isreal or associates,” the communiqué stated.
The leaders’ position raises questions about the identities of the beneficiaries of the reported vehicle distribution and whether the recipients were officials outside the forum of elected state youth leaders.
Israel’s earlier announcement had referred to selected youth leaders but did not publicly identify all the beneficiaries.
Accuse National Youth Leader of Running a One-Man Show
Beyond the vehicle controversy, the forum accused Israel of repeatedly excluding state youth leaders from programmes, rallies and other engagements organised in their respective states.
It alleged that he had organised events without informing or involving the substantive state youth leaders, whom it described as grassroots mobilisers responsible for building the party’s structures.
The forum also accused him of selective dealings with state officials, claiming that his approach had created cliques and divisions within the youth wing.
According to the communiqué, Israel had failed to develop an inclusive and actionable work plan incorporating state youth leaders, or convene regular meetings to discuss mobilisation, strategy and welfare ahead of the 2027 elections.
The leaders argued that these alleged shortcomings could weaken the party’s grassroots mobilisation efforts at a critical period before the general elections.
Threaten to Bypass Dayo Israel
As part of their resolutions, the state youth leaders called on the APC National Chairman and National Working Committee to intervene urgently and address their grievances.
They demanded an immediate meeting involving all state youth leaders to develop a coordinated mobilisation strategy ahead of the elections.
The forum also warned that it could withdraw from activities coordinated by Israel’s office if the party leadership failed to address the situation.
“We disassociate ourselves from any activities of Dayo Israel and we urge the national chairman and national working committee to deal with us directly,” the communiqué stated.
Despite their criticism of Israel, the leaders reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC, President Bola Tinubu, the national chairman and the party’s National Working Committee.
The development comes as the APC’s youth wing faces competing reactions to the vehicle distribution controversy, with another group of party youth officials expressing support for Israel and defending the vehicles as a means of strengthening grassroots mobilisation.
The emerging disagreement raises questions about unity within the ruling party’s youth structure as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As of the communiqué dated October 26, the state youth leaders’ demands centred on an apology, greater inclusion in party activities and intervention by the APC national leadership.
