The Nigerian Presidency has declared its intention to pursue legal action against social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as Verydarkman (VDM), for purportedly circulating a manipulated audio recording of President Bola Tinubu. The announcement was made on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, a media aide to the President, via his official X account.
According to Onanuga, VDM acted as a conduit for spreading the fake audio, which featured an AI-generated voice mimicking Tinubu. The fabricated clip suggested that the President stated insecurity would persist in Nigeria because he did not receive votes from certain regions during the 2023 elections. Onanuga described this as a clear violation of social media regulations and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
However, an independent review by DAILY POST found no evidence of the alleged audio in VDM’s posted content. This discrepancy raises questions about the validity of the accusation. Despite this, the Presidency remains firm, vowing that VDM will face the full consequences of the law for what they term an egregious abuse of digital platforms.