Lawyer Deji Adeyanju has reacted to calls from the Presidency for legal action against social critic Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The controversy started after a video surfaced showing VeryDarkMan playing what appeared to be an audio recording of President Bola Tinubu.
The clip claimed the president said he would run for office again in 2027 regardless of public opinion and urged opposition leader Peter Obi to step aside.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, posted on X on Wednesday, May 27, calling for VDM to face the law.
“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.
But many online users said the clip was the work of mischief-makers who layered an AI-generated voice note over a VDM video.
Lawyer Says Video Was Doctored
VDM’s lead counsel, Deji Adeyanju, said the circulated video was doctored and condemned the fabrication.
He called on security and law enforcement agencies to investigate the true source of the manipulated audio and bring the creators to justice.
Adeyanju said verification of VDM’s verified social media accounts would show that he did not make or share the audio.
He said it was surprising that adverse comments were made about his client without proper fact-checking.
“The attention of our client has been drawn to the statement made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, concerning a doctored audio currently circulating online and falsely attributed to our client, Mr. Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan,” Adeyanju said.
“A simple verification of our client’s verified social media platforms would have confirmed that he neither made nor shared the said audio.”
He added that this case confirmed VDM’s long-standing concern that powerful people in government were trying to silence him.
“This development further validates our client’s longstanding concerns regarding attempts to cage him by powerful people in government and discredit him on account of his outspoken views on matters of public interest,” he said.
Adeyanju then called on agencies to track down those behind the fake audio.
“We accordingly call on the relevant security agencies to investigate the source and circulation of the doctored audio and ensure that those responsible are identified and dealt with in accordance with the law.”
The dispute has now shifted from a call for arrests to a demand for an investigation into who created and spread the doctored clip.
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