TDThe Presidency has called for legal action against social media activist and influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, over the circulation of an alleged fake audio purportedly linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The demand was made on Wednesday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, who accused the influencer of disseminating false information capable of misleading the public and abusing social media platforms.
In a post shared on X, Onanuga stated that the social media commentator should “face the weight of the law” for allegedly spreading the controversial audio recording, which has generated intense reactions online.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu.
“This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform,” Onanuga wrote.
The controversy erupted after a viral voice note surfaced on social media platforms including X, TikTok and WhatsApp.
The post claims that the voice in the recording belonged to President Tinubu.
The audio reportedly contained comments on Nigeria’s political situation and the 2027 elections.
VDM was said to have reposted and discussed the recording on his social media platforms.
It has triggered widespread debate among supporters and critics over the authenticity of the audio clip.
Some online users alleged the recording may have been manipulated or AI-generated.
Others have, meanwhile, questioned the growing spread of unverified political content on social media ahead of the next election cycle.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor security agencies had announced any formal charges or arrest warrant against VDM.
The influencer had also not publicly responded to Onanuga’s latest remarks.
The development has further reignited conversations around misinformation, digital content regulation and the role of influencers in shaping political narratives online.
Analysts have also raised concerns over the increasing use of alleged doctored audios and AI-generated content in Nigeria’s political space.
