Presidency moves against VDM over viral ‘fake’ Tinubu audio

The Presidency has intensified its response to a viral audio recording allegedly linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), to face legal action over its circulation.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, described the recording as fabricated propaganda and accused the influencer of abusing social media platforms by spreading unverified content capable of misleading the public.

In a strongly worded post on X on Wednesday, Onanuga said: “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.”

The controversial recording, which has gone viral across several social media platforms, allegedly features a voice purported to be that of the President making damaging remarks about the country, the 2023 presidential election and insecurity in Nigeria.

Among other claims, the speaker in the audio allegedly said Nigeria had no future under Tinubu’s leadership, claimed he asked former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2023 race, and suggested insecurity in parts of the country was politically motivated.

However, several online commentators have questioned the authenticity of the recording, pointing to noticeable differences between the voice in the clip and Tinubu’s familiar speaking style. Many argued that the audio sounded unusually sharp and fast-paced compared to the President’s often calm and measured tone, fueling suspicions that artificial intelligence or voice-cloning technology may have been used.

The Presidency’s reaction followed comments by an X user identified as Aneex, who dismissed the recording as “cheap propaganda” and accused VDM of exploiting public emotions to spread falsehood.

The development has continued to generate mixed reactions online, with supporters of the government demanding sanctions against those responsible for the audio, while others called for an independent forensic investigation to determine its authenticity.