Social media critic Martine Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has launched a blistering attack on presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, accusing the federal government of using a fabricated voice note to orchestrate his arrest. The confrontation unfolded on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, after Onanuga shared a controversial audio recording online that purports to feature the influencer.
Reacting from an international location, Otse released a video statement explicitly denying the authenticity of the recording, while stating that he expects to face state authorities when he lands back in Nigeria. Instead of defending the clip, the commentator accused the presidency of using the controversy as a calculated distraction to divert public attention away from worsening security challenges across the country.
“This is an opportunity to silence Verydarkman,” Otse stated, arguing that the administration’s communication team is targeting online critics rather than addressing core governance issues.
The social media star tied the personal dispute to national security, claiming that the presidency has remained silent on a recent security crisis in Oyo State. According to Otse, bandits recently invaded an Oyo community, abducting students and three teachers—one of whom was reportedly carrying an infant—with subsequent reports indicating that one teacher was later executed by the captors.
“Today is Children’s Day and those kids are in an unknown location as we speak,” Otse added yesterday, questioning why the presidential media team has not released official updates on the missing students while finding the time to comment on viral internet audio. He concluded his remarks by stating that the operational conduct of the president’s media handlers serves as his primary reason for opposing a second term for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
As of Thursday morning, May 28, the presidency has not issued a formal counter-statement regarding Otse’s security allegations or his political remarks. The public standoff underscores an ongoing friction between Nigeria’s digital content creators and state media managers, as social media perimeters increasingly become the battleground for national political debates ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
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