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| VeryDarkMan |
Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has launched a sharp critique of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the formal flag-off of the party’s 2027 presidential campaign in Kaduna.
In a video posted on his Instagram page, VDM argued that Tinubu does not deserve a second term, pointing to widespread suffering among Nigerians and what he described as a lacklustre or even embarrassing reception for the ruling party in the North.
VDM’s comments come against the backdrop of a high-profile event on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the Ranchers Bees Stadium (also referred to as Kaduna Township Stadium).
President Tinubu, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, campaign Director-General Senator Abdulaziz Yari, and other APC leaders, formally launched the re-election bid. The administration framed the gathering as a massive show of support, with reports of crowds filling the stadium and spilling onto surrounding roads, supporters in party colours, and chants of “Baba Oyoyo.”
Tinubu used the platform to appeal for another term, promising continued economic recovery, prosperity, and opportunities for young people. He accused opponents of relying on “hate” rather than alternatives and, in one reported line, suggested previous administrations bore responsibility for the hunger and poverty now dominating political debate. Officials also highlighted infrastructure projects, including elements of the Abuja-Kaduna highway, education funding via NELFUND in the North-West, and other interventions.
VDM offered a starkly different reading. “Tinubu doesn’t deserve second term. This is why I love Northerners. When they hate you, they can’t hide it. Look at how they disgraced the APC yesterday during its campaign flag-off in Kaduna State, to the extent that the APC had to start sharing AI-generated pictures of crowds,” he said.
This is not VDM’s first public clash with the Tinubu administration. The Benue-born commentator has repeatedly used his large social media following to criticise economic hardship, rising costs of living (including cooking gas), insecurity, and what he sees as elite disconnect.
Earlier videos and posts have questioned the results of subsidy removal and other reforms, called for greater voter participation via Permanent Voter Cards, and challenged perceived political impunity. His style—direct, often confrontational, and delivered in accessible language—resonates with audiences frustrated by official narratives of progress.
Context: Why Kaduna, and Why the North Matters
Kaduna was a deliberate choice for the campaign launch. Once the political capital of the old Northern Region, the state carries symbolic weight and a large electorate. APC leaders, including Yari, emphasised its strategic importance in the North-West.
Local party officials had earlier projected confidence, speaking of delivering up to two million votes and describing the state as largely free of meaningful opposition under Governor Uba Sani’s leadership. The event was part of a broader planned itinerary of rallies across the country leading up to the election.
Yet the North has also been a region where the costs of national economic policy and lingering insecurity are keenly felt. Fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate adjustments, and inflation have driven up food and transport prices.
Banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, and other security challenges continue to disrupt lives and livelihoods in parts of the North-West and North-Central. These realities form the backdrop against which VDM’s claim of Northern “disgrace” for the APC lands with particular force for his audience—even as mainstream reports from the event stressed large, enthusiastic turnouts and traffic gridlock caused by supporters.
The allegation of AI-generated crowd images taps into a broader contemporary tension: the battle over visual and narrative control in the social-media age. Official channels and aligned accounts typically circulate photos and videos emphasising scale and energy. Critics and independent voices often counter with claims of staging, selective framing, or digital enhancement.
Whether or not the specific AI claim holds in this instance, the dispute itself illustrates how campaign optics are now contested in real time online, often reaching audiences that never attend the physical rallies.
Broader Political and Economic Stakes
Tinubu’s first term has been defined by bold but painful reforms aimed at stabilising the fiscal position, unifying the exchange rate, and reducing long-standing distortions. Supporters argue these steps were necessary after years of deferred decisions and that early indicators of recovery—improved revenue, certain infrastructure advances, and targeted programmes—justify continuity under a “Renewed Hope 2.0” agenda. Critics, including VDM, contend that the human cost has been too high for too many households, that insecurity remains inadequately addressed, and that campaigning should rest on tangible improvements rather than promises or mobilisation theatrics.
The 2027 contest is already shaping up as a high-stakes test of these competing narratives. Opposition figures and parties have begun positioning themselves around the themes of hardship and accountability. Social media influencers and activists like VDM occupy an influential, if unofficial, space: they amplify grassroots discontent, pressure politicians, and shape online conversation in ways traditional media and party structures sometimes struggle to match. At the same time, their interventions can be polarising, and governments have occasionally responded with legal or rhetorical pushback.
Samuel O. Sulaimon is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Naijapiz. He covers Global, News, Sports, Finance, Faiths, Education, Politics and Technology.
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