The Presidency has threatened legal action against social media commentator Martins Otse over the circulation of an audio clip it described as falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.
The Presidency accused the influencer, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of disseminating manipulated content in which a voice resembling that of the president made controversial remarks about insecurity in the South-east, borrowing from the World Bank and the 2027 general election.
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Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued the warning in a statement posted on his verified X account on Wednesday.
According to him, the circulation of the audio amounted to misinformation that could deceive the public and tarnish the president’s image.
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“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,” Mr Onanuga wrote.
The presidential aide was reacting to a viral video in which VDM played the controversial audio recording before his followers while asking them to judge its authenticity.
Introducing the clip, the influencer said, “After this audio that I am about to play, we will decide if they cooked the minds of Nigerians who will support Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 or if they are okay.”
The recording allegedly featured a voice purported to be that of Mr Tinubu making remarks about political opposition, insecurity in the South-east and foreign loans.
In one part of the audio, the voice said, “They have been trying to take me out of the position, but it’s not possible, mind you, I am winning this election, I do not care what is happening, Nigerians deserve it.”
Another section of the clip allegedly stated, “Because when I was running as a President, they did not want me, now all of a sudden they want me to rescue them from insecurity.”
The recording also contained remarks purportedly linking insecurity in the South-east to political calculations ahead of future elections.
In another segment, the voice allegedly claimed that additional loans would be obtained from the World Bank and suggested that insecurity could be politically advantageous to the ruling party.
Presidency dismisses clip as fabricated
However, Mr Onanuga dismissed the recording as fabricated, insisting that it was designed to mislead the public and provoke tension.
He argued that the spread of manipulated digital content posed serious threats to national security, democratic stability and public confidence in state institutions.
Although Mr Onanuga has not disclosed whether formal charges would be filed immediately, the threat signals a possible legal showdown between the federal government and the social media activist.
As of the time of filing this report, VDM had yet to publicly respond to the allegations or the threat of legal action from the presidency.
Growing concerns over AI-generated misinformation
The latest controversy comes amid growing concerns about the misuse of Artificial Intelligence and digitally manipulated media in Nigeria’s political space.
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Earlier, the federal government warned Nigerians against an AI-generated advertisement that used Mr Tinubu’s image and voice to promote a fraudulent investment scheme circulating on Facebook.
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria had cautioned that individuals or organisations involved in creating or disseminating deceptive digital advertisements risk sanctions under existing laws.
Nigeria’s Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024, criminalises the intentional dissemination of false electronic communications capable of causing public harm, panic, or reputational damage. Offenders may face fines, imprisonment or both upon conviction.
The controversy also highlights growing concerns among security experts and digital rights advocates about the rise of “deepfake” technology, which enables the creation of highly realistic but fabricated audio and video content capable of influencing public opinion, spreading misinformation, and undermining trust in public institutions.
