The Presidency has threatened to take legal action against social media commentator Martins Otse, popularly known as Very Dark Man, over the circulation of an alleged AI-generated audio purportedly linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, issued the warning on Wednesday while reacting to a video shared online by VeryDarkMan in which the controversial audio was played and followers were asked to determine its authenticity.
According to Onanuga, disseminating fake audio materials amounts to a serious misuse of social media platforms and should attract legal consequences.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu,” Onanuga stated in a post on X.
His reaction followed criticism from another X user who accused VeryDarkMan of allegedly using emotional manipulation and propaganda in sharing the clip.
In the viral video, VeryDarkMan spoke in a mixture of English and Pidgin, urging viewers to listen carefully to the audio and make their own judgment.
The audio allegedly featured a voice resembling Tinubu making controversial comments on insecurity in the South-East, the 2023 presidential election, economic hardship, and World Bank loans.
After playing the recording, VeryDarkMan criticised the administration, saying Tinubu no longer had anything meaningful to offer Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections.
However, subsequent checks showed that the social media commentator also questioned the authenticity of the audio clip and challenged the original uploader to explain its source and editing process.
The controversy has continued to stir reactions online, with concerns growing over the increasing spread of AI-generated misinformation on social media platforms.
Starnews NG
