The Presidency is seeking legal consequences for social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan, over a viral audio clip allegedly linked to President Bola Tinubu.

Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, made the call on X on Wednesday. He accused VDM of spreading false content that could mislead Nigerians and damage the President’s reputation. 

“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu,” Onanuga wrote, describing it as a clear misuse of social media. 

The recording, which many suspect was created using AI voice cloning, allegedly featured Tinubu making sensitive political remarks ahead of the 2027 elections. Among the claims were that insecurity in the South-East was intentional, that he urged Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2023 race, and that he was unconcerned about Nigeria’s economic hardship.

VDM shared the clip with a video message urging followers to listen before deciding on supporting Tinubu’s possible 2027 bid. The post sparked debate online, with some users questioning the audio’s authenticity and calling it “cheap propaganda”.

As of now, the Presidency has not announced any formal legal steps, and VDM has not issued a public response.