Senator Adams Oshiomhole has denied the authenticity of a widely circulated video appearing to show him massaging a woman’s feet aboard a private jet, describing it as a fabricated clip created using artificial intelligence (AI).
The video, which surfaced on social media on Tuesday, shows a man resembling the former Edo State governor engaged in a light conversation with a woman whose feet rest on his lap. The clip quickly went viral, sparking widespread reactions online.
The woman was initially misidentified as Lara Fortes, wife of the senator representing Edo North. However, subsequent reports identified her as Leshaan Dagama, a South African lifestyle influencer and adult content creator.
It was also alleged that Dagama had originally posted the video on her TikTok account before deleting it.
The footage triggered backlash against Oshiomhole, with many Nigerians criticising what they perceived as inappropriate conduct, particularly amid the country’s ongoing economic hardship.
Others mocked the senator over his recent controversial remark suggesting that some Nigerians were complaining that “food prices are becoming too cheap.”
In response, Oshiomhole’s media aide, Oseni Momodu, issued a statement on his Facebook account rejecting the video as fake and describing it as a “poorly crafted AI-generated video.”
The aide accused unnamed individuals of orchestrating the video to malign the senator’s reputation, describing its circulation as cyberbullying. He added that steps were being taken to investigate the source and publishers of the clip.
The statement said, “AI PROPAGANDA VIDEO AGAINST COMRADE OSHIOMHOLE: A CALL FOR CAUTION
“The media office of His Excellency, Senator Adams OSHIOMHOLE has noted with dismay a poorly crafted and edited fake AI video of the outstanding Senator allegedly massaging the foot of a lady.
“We urge the public to jettison this false narrative that is in circulation to blackmail the people’s Comrade. It is an awkward height of insensitivity by unguarded power seekers who hide under the use of false information and can go to any length in bringing down an innocent assumed enemy, which the amiable Senator is not.
“In fact, we urge members of the public and the media to disregard its purport comprehensively and in totality.
This is a criminal cyber bullying and a needless attack on the personality of the Senator. And we will further investigate the publisher and the source of it.
“The video was clearly doctored by malicious actors aimed at maligning the reputation of the amiable Senator. In the footage, the 30 seconds video published by #SaharaReporters on its facebook handle revealed intent desperation and the decrying state of media reportage devoid of investigative professionalism.“
According to the aide, a close examination of the video revealed “glaring disparities” suggesting manipulation, particularly between the opening seconds and the remainder of the footage.
“Close examination of the alleged clip especially up till 0.6 seconds where the lady walked through the airstairs and the remainder 23 seconds of the alleged footage of Senator Oshiomhole significantly revealed disparity, glaringly suggesting contraption.
“We therefore caution members of the public to always verify contents before ignorantly ascribing aspersions on public office holders which Adams Oshiomhole is one.
“This antics, devised and manipulated by “obubuyeye” content creators in quest for online clicks and views to enhance the potentials of their dollar-rating pay (via online apps) is not only novel to our media space, but increasingly creating nuisance against Nigerians epecially the influencials such as Oshiomhole. “
The media office further called for stricter regulation of social media content, warning against the misuse of AI tools for misinformation and reputational attacks.
He said, “This calls for urgent social media regulations by relevant authorities. While Adams Oshiomhole is not against any content creators, those who desire to earn a living through this newfound outlets should do so through legitimate means rather than engaging in egregious practice.”
Meanwhile, Dagama also reacted to the controversy via her Instagram story, redirecting criticism toward the senator.
“Your senator is the problem. Go be mad at him not me,” she wrote
Watch the video below:
𝐎𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭-𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨, 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐈-𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝
Credit: X | EsonwunneL
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