Presidency Seeks Legal Action Against VeryDarkMan Over Alleged Fake Tinubu Audio

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The Presidency has called for legal action against social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), over an audio clip allegedly linked to President Bola Tinubu.

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, accused the influencer of spreading false information capable of misleading Nigerians and damaging the President’s reputation.

In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Onanuga condemned the circulation of the recording, which allegedly contained fabricated comments attributed to Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“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 controversial audio, which many observers suspect may have been generated through artificial intelligence voice-cloning technology, allegedly featured Tinubu making sensitive political remarks. Among the claims in the recording were allegations that insecurity in the South-East was intentional, that the President once asked former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2023 race in his favour, and that he was unconcerned about the country’s economic difficulties.

The recording also alleged that funds obtained through World Bank loans were being channelled into election activities.

VDM shared the clip alongside a video message directed at his followers. He urged Nigerians to listen carefully to the audio before deciding whether to support Tinubu in the next presidential election.

“You people watch it, see this next video I’m about to play. After you people watch it, we’ll come decide whether na for shrine them cook una mind. All the people wey wan support Bola Ahmed Tinubu for 2027, you go come know whether they don cook your mind (“Watch this next video I’m about to play. After you watch it, we will decide whether your minds have been influenced in a ritualistic manner. All those who intend to support Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 will then understand whether they have been mentally manipulated),” he said.

After playing the audio, the influencer openly rejected the possibility of Tinubu returning to office in 2027.

“This man does not have anything to offer. Come 2027, any other option is welcome, but for me, myself and I, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cannot offer us anything anymore. So he should go,” he added.