By Musa Bakare
Nigeria must never become a lawless digital jungle where anyone wakes up, fabricates dangerous lies against the President of the Federal Republic, spreads manipulated content across social media, and walks away scot-free as if national recklessness has no consequences.
The recent circulation of an AI-generated fake voice note falsely linked to President Tinubu is not politics. It is not activism. It is not free speech. It is digital sabotage designed to inflame tensions, shatter public confidence, and trash Nigeria’s image before the world.
Even social media activists reportedly admitted the content was bad, extremely bad and that it clearly crosses all red lines.
That admission alone confirms the gravity of the offense.
When individuals knowingly disseminate manipulated, inflammatory content involving the Commander-in-Chief of a sovereign nation, this is far beyond social media entertainment. This is a threat to national security.
This dangerous culture of weaponized lies must end now, and the heads of relevant security agencies must be awake to their responsibilities.
President Tinubu has shown unusual restraint amid relentless abuse, insults, misinformation, and coordinated online attacks.
Many world leaders would have crushed such provocation with an iron fist. Yet, in his non vindictive nature, he keeps his eyes on governance, reforms, and national reconstruction.
But restraint must never be mistaken for weakness.
No democracy survives when reckless individuals believe they can manufacture lies against the nation’s highest office and walk away. Freedom of expression does NOT mean freedom to fabricate, manipulate, incite, or destabilize society through deliberate falsehood.
This fight is bigger than President Tinubu. Bigger than the APC. Bigger than 2027 elections.
It is about protecting the integrity of the Nigerian state itself.
When fake AI-generated materials are deliberately circulated to portray the President as threatening insecurity in the South-East, coercing political opponents, or making inflammatory declarations, these actions carry the dangerous potential to ignite ethnic tensions, spark unrest, and create chaos that harms innocent citizens.
That is why law enforcement agencies cannot keep looking away while social media extremism grows unchecked.
If ordinary citizens can be prosecuted for cybercrime, defamation, forgery, or spreading false information, then social media influencers and political propagandists must NOT become untouchable sacred cows just because they command online followers.
Nigeria cannot keep allowing digital irresponsibility to become a political strategy.
Certain opposition figures and activists have turned insulting President Tinubu into a daily sport with shocking arrogance and total disregard for national dignity.
Criticism is legitimate in democracy. Opposition is legitimate in democracy. But organized falsehood, vulgar abuse, fabricated narratives, and reckless incitement are NOT democratic rights.
One wonders: when did basic decency disappear from public discourse?
The office of the President represents the sovereignty of the Nigerian people. Whether you voted for President Tinubu or not, that office deserves institutional respect.
Democracies worldwide draw clear lines between legitimate criticism and deliberate attempts to undermine national stability through fabricated content.
Those who think elections can be won through insolence, misinformation, and social media chaos are making a grave mistake. Nigerians want leadership, ideas, development, solutions, not digital hooliganism disguised as activism.
The dissemination of this fake audio was an egregious abuse of social media platforms and a dangerous assault on public trust.
Those responsible for creating, promoting, and amplifying these lies must face the full weight of the law to serve as a deterrent to anyone contemplating similar recklessness.
If this dangerous precedent stands unchecked, tomorrow anyone can fabricate presidential declarations, fake military orders, manipulated ethnic statements, or false economic announcements capable of triggering nationwide panic.
A nation that fails to defend truth eventually becomes hostage to chaos.
Nigeria must NOT get to that point.
This is the time for security agencies, cybercrime authorities, and relevant institutions to rise decisively in defense of national stability, responsible communication, and digital accountability.
Enough of the madness.
Enough of the reckless abuse of social media freedom.
Enough of the dangerous politics of lies.
Nigeria must remain bigger than the desperation of attention seekers and political opportunists masquerading as activists.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, a foundational member of APC and political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
