From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The South South Zonal Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Blessing Agbomhere, has warned social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to tender an unreserved apology to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Agbomhere, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, condemned Otse’s criticism of Akpabio over his recent trip to the Vatican where he led a federal government delegation to the funeral of Pope Francis.
VeryDarkMan, in a viral video, had described the Senate President’s visit as shameful, arguing that Akpabio should have instead visited Nigerian states battling insecurity.
Responding, Agbomhere described the comments as “unwarranted and slanderous,” accusing Otse of engaging in blackmail and character assassination under the guise of activism.
“This individual known as VeryDarkMan is now notorious for blackmail, slander and character assassination while pretending to be an advocate for the masses and social crusader,” Agbomhere said.
He stressed that Akpabio was duly nominated by President Bola Tinubu to lead the delegation and questioned why the Senate President’s attendance at the funeral should be criticized.
Agbomhere also defended Akpabio’s character, describing him as a devout Catholic and a family man with an unblemished record. He gave VeryDarkMan a one-week ultimatum to apologize to the Senate President and warned him against making further derogatory statements that could tarnish the image of the Tinubu administration.
He urged Nigerians to disregard Otse’s remarks, assuring that the federal government was actively working to address the insecurity inherited from previous administrations. Agbomhere noted that President Tinubu had recently met with security chiefs and issued directives for a new approach in tackling security challenges across the country.
“The complex security problems in the country cannot be wished away with a wave of the hand,” Agbomhere said, adding that the Tinubu administration remains committed to ensuring the safety of all Nigerians.