The South-South Zonal chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday issued a stern warning to popular social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan, demanding he apologise within one week for his remarks against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a statement released in Abuja by Blessing Agbomhere, the South-South APC Zonal Organising Secretary, the party accused VeryDarkMan of crossing the line between activism and slander, urging him to refrain from targeting the former Akwa Ibom governor in the future.
The statement was a response to a recent viral video in which VeryDarkMan criticised Akpabio’s leadership of a five-man federal government delegation to Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican on Saturday. In the three-minute video, the influencer called Akpabio’s attendance “shameful,” arguing that the Senate President should have been visiting states like Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Ogun and Enugu, where recent killings have occurred, instead of traveling abroad.
Agbomhere condemned the attack, accusing VeryDarkMan of engaging in blackmail and character assassination under the guise of activism.
He said, “VeryDarkMan is becoming notorious for blackmail, slander and character assassination while pretending to be an advocate for the masses and social crusader. The unwarranted verbal attack on the number three citizen of Nigeria who did not send himself to Rome but was duly nominated by the President to lead a delegation to represent Nigeria. What exactly is wrong with that?”
He further defended Akpabio, noting that President Bola Tinubu, recognising Akpabio’s devout Catholic faith and reputable character, deemed him a fitting representative for such an important event.
Issuing a one-week ultimatum, Agbomhere demanded an “unreserved apology” from VeryDarkMan to the Senate President and warned him against actions that could damage the image of the Tinubu-led administration.
He also called on Nigerians to disregard what he described as the “uninformed ranting” of the influencer, assuring the public that the current administration is actively working to address the country’s security challenges.
Agbomhere said, “Upon his return from France and the UK, Tinubu met with the security chiefs and during the meeting, he gave them marching orders to ensure that a different approach is deployed in the fight against insecurity. Does this sound like a man who is not serious about protecting the lives and property of Nigerians?
“Mind you, the complex security problems in the country cannot be wished away with a wave of the hand; it takes time to achieve a semblance of peace, and that is a commitment that the Tinubu-led administration made to Nigerians while assuming office and is still committed to achieving.”
