The Presidency has urged that social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), be prosecuted over the circulation of an alleged fake audio clip involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The call was made on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who accused the influencer of deliberately spreading misleading content online.
In a post shared on X, Onanuga insisted that VDM should be held accountable for disseminating what he described as fabricated material.
“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,” he wrote.
His remarks came in response to an X user identified as Aneex, who questioned the authenticity of the viral audio and why some people believed it was the voice of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The controversial audio, which circulated widely online, was used by VDM in a video where he reportedly advised Nigerians against supporting Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 general elections.
The Presidency maintains that the content is false and part of a broader misuse of social media platforms for political misinformation.
The statement adds to ongoing public debate over digital content regulation and the responsibility of influencers in shaping political narratives online.
