Presidency denies Tinubu audio circulating online, threatens legal action against VDM

• The Presidency said the viral audio circulating online and linked to President Tinubu was fabricated and misleading.

• Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga accused VDM of abusing social media by sharing the recording and warned of possible legal action.

• VDM had posted the audio claiming it featured Tinubu speaking about insecurity, the 2027 election, Peter Obi, and World Bank loans.

The Presidency has dismissed a viral audio recording allegedly linked to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as fake, while also threatening possible legal action against social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).

Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, reacted strongly to the circulation of the audio, accusing VDM of spreading false information capable of misleading Nigerians and damaging the image of the President.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, Onanuga said the influencer should be made to face the law over the incident.

“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 stated.

The controversy started after VDM shared a video online claiming he had obtained an audio recording allegedly featuring Tinubu speaking about insecurity, politics, and the 2027 election.

While introducing the recording, VDM said, “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 audio clip, which has now gone viral across several social media platforms, allegedly contained comments attributed to the President on attempts to remove him from office, insecurity in the South-East, and Nigeria’s borrowing from the World Bank.

In one part of the recording, the voice believed to be fake allegedly said, “They have been trying to take me out of the position but it's not possible, mind you I am winning this election, I do not care whatever is happening, Nigerians deserve it.”

READ ALSO: Kano beats Lagos, Abuja as best state to raise a family in Nigeria: full list

Another section of the audio claimed, “Because when I was running as a President, they did not want me, now all of a sudden they want me to rescue them from insecurity.”

“I called Peter Obi to stepped down for me but he refused. I am not begging him again, I will be whatsoever in my mind and I will make sure the insecurity affects the people in South East more,” the voice in the clip allegedly said.

The audio further claimed Tinubu said, “Listen i am going to borrow more and more money from the World Bank, I won't like to stop this insecurity because if I do, how will our party be able to win elections, think about it, even the loans I am taking is to fund them.”

However, the Presidency insisted the recording was manipulated and entirely false.

READ ALSO: Nigerians criticise President Tinubu for releasing Children's Day speech at 10 pm amid Oyo abductions

Onanuga said the spread of fake and unverified content online poses a threat to public trust, democratic stability, and national security, especially when it involves sensitive political issues.

As of the time this report was filed, the Presidency had not confirmed whether formal legal proceedings would immediately be initiated against VDM.

The influencer is also yet to publicly respond to Onanuga’s statement.