Presidency Demands Legal Action Over Alleged Doctored VDM Audio Clip
A fresh controversy has erupted on Nigerian social media after a manipulated audio clip allegedly linked to social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, began circulating online.
The viral clip reportedly featured an artificial intelligence-generated voice falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The audio was attached to an earlier video in which VeryDarkMan criticized the country’s persistent electricity challenges and governance issues.
Reacting to the development, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga condemned the circulation of the edited content and called for legal action against those responsible for spreading the fake recording.
According to Onanuga, cloning or manipulating the voice of the president of Africa’s largest democracy is a serious offence that should not be taken lightly.
He stressed that anyone involved in distributing the altered clip must be held accountable under the law.
The presidential aide also warned that protests or public sympathy would not shield anyone found guilty of spreading false or misleading content online. He described the incident as a dangerous abuse of social media platforms and urged authorities to investigate the source of the fabricated audio.
Reports indicated that the original video made by VeryDarkMan did not contain any voice recording from the president or any former APC senator.
However, the edited version quickly gained traction online, sparking heated debates over the growing use of artificial intelligence to create deceptive political content.
The controversy has further intensified conversations around deepfakes, digital misinformation, and freedom of expression in Nigeria’s political landscape. While supporters of the administration insist that strict action must be taken against fake content creators, critics argue that the situation also highlights broader concerns about governance and public dissatisfaction.
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The development comes amid increasing concerns over the misuse of AI-generated media in political discourse, especially as Nigeria’s online space becomes more polarized ahead of future elections.
