The South-South Zonal chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Sunday gave controversial social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, one week to apologise to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for disparaging remarks made in his latest video.
The APC, while urging VDM to differentiate between activism and slander, also warned him against targeting the former Akwa Ibom governor again in the future.
This demand was issued in a statement by the Zonal Organising Secretary of the South-South APC, Blessing Agbomhere.
The statement followed a scathing verbal attack by VDM on Akpabio for leading a five-man Federal Government delegation to the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.
In a viral three-minute video, VeryDarkMan described Akpabio’s presence at the Pope’s funeral as “shameful,” claiming that the Senate President should have been in Nigeria visiting states like Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Ogun, and Enugu, which are currently facing violent crises.
In response, Agbomhere condemned VDM’s remarks, accusing him of blackmail, slander, and character assassination under the guise of activism.
He stated, “VeryDarkMan is becoming notorious for blackmail, slander, and character assassination while pretending to be an advocate for the masses and a social crusader.
“The unwarranted verbal attack on the number-three citizen of Nigeria, who was duly nominated by the President to represent Nigeria at such a significant event, is unjustified.”
Agbomhere emphasised that Akpabio’s participation in the Pope’s funeral was at the discretion of President Bola Tinubu, who saw the Senate president as a worthy representative of Nigeria due to his impeccable character and devout Catholic faith.
“Being a devout Catholic and a family man with unblemished character, President Tinubu saw in Akpabio a worthy ambassador of Nigeria to such an event as the Pope’s funeral and wasted no time in entrusting him with that responsibility. What is wrong with that?” Agbomhere asked.
The APC official then issued a one-week ultimatum to VDM, demanding that he issue an unreserved apology to Akpabio and refrain from further discrediting the administration of President Tinubu.
He also urged Nigerians to disregard VDM’s “uninformed ranting,” adding that the current administration is making significant efforts to address the widespread insecurity in the country, which it inherited from previous governments.
“Upon his return from France and the UK, President Tinubu met with security chiefs and gave them clear directives to adopt a new approach in tackling insecurity. Does this sound like a man who is not serious about protecting Nigerians?” Agbomhere said.
He said while security challenges are complex and cannot be resolved immediately, the Tinubu-led administration remained committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Nigerians.
