Deji Elumoye in Abuja
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, has canvassed legal action against social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VDM, for circulating an audio clip of a fabricated recording attributed to President Bola Tinubu.
In a post on his verified X handle @aonanuga1956 on Wednesday, the media aide accused VDM of abusing social media by disseminating “false information capable of misleading the public and damaging the image of the President.”
Onanuga, in the post, stated: “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.”
He dismissed the audio as manipulated and warned that the spread of unverified material “poses serious dangers to public trust, national security, and democratic stability.” According to Onanuga, those responsible for circulating such content should be held accountable under the law.
VDM had posted an audio clip which, he said, featured Tinubu commenting on the country’s political situation, insecurity in the South-East and plans for the 2027 elections.
While introducing the clip, VDM asked viewers, “After this audio that I am about to play, I would ask if they cooked Nigerians who will support Tinubu in 2027, or you guys are okay.”
The recording, which circulated online, reportedly included statements in which a voice alleged to be the president said those trying to remove him from office “have been trying to take me out of the position, but it’s not possible,” and suggested he would not act to halt insecurity in the South-East because doing so would harm his party’s electoral prospects.
