The president has demanded that social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, better known online as VeryDarkMan (VDM), be sued for allegedly circulating a phony audio clip of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Advisor on Information and Strategy, called out the influencer for allegedly disseminating misleading information on social media.
“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,” Onanuga wrote.
Onanuga was responding to a post made by Aneex, an X user, who questioned why some people thought Tinubu was the voice in the viral audio.
VDM urged Nigerians not to back President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reelection campaign in the 2027 elections by using the purportedly leaked audio in the widely shared video.
It is crucial for everyone to recognize the destructive impact of spreading fake news generated by AI. Such misinformation not only undermines trust but also damages reputations and destabilizes societal harmony. We must exercise caution and verify information before sharing, rather than falling prey to falsehoods.
Specifically, VDM and others in the media should take responsibility to promote truthful reporting and resist the temptation to circulate unverified content. Let us all commit to fostering an informed and truthful society by rejecting fake news and holding AI-generated misinformation accountable.
