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VeryDarkMan says his relationship with Seun Kuti has been permanently affected following their recent public disagreement over activism and accountability.
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The self-described “online police” denied allegations that he accepts money to influence cases, insisting no one has ever paid him to keep quiet.
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VDM challenged the Afrobeat singer to present evidence to support the claims, arguing that his critics would have exposed him long ago if they had proof.
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He also defended his public advocacy, saying his goal is to create awareness and encourage citizens to play a role in demanding accountability.
August 5, (THEWILL) — Self-described “online police” Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has said his relationship with Afrobeat singer Seun Kuti can no longer be the same following their recent public fallout.
VDM made the remarks during a recent interview on Arise 360, where he responded to Seun Kuti’s allegation that his style of public advocacy is monetised.
Rejecting the allegation, VDM said anyone claiming he had accepted money to influence a case should present evidence, insisting none exists.
“If my method has been monetised, I think by now somebody would have come out to talk. I have a lot of enemies, and they would have come out with some sort of receipts. I have never collected money from anybody before. I’ve never taken any money to shut up. I don’t shut up.”
Speaking on their fallout, VDM said he no longer believes they can return to the relationship they once had.
“My relationship with Seun Kuti cannot be the same again. Seun Kuti talks a lot, and that’s his problem. He found out that he could not control me in certain situations. Anything he is saying now is out of anger and pain. I would not take Seun serious even though I still have a lot of respect for him. He should keep talking. We all know I don’t collect money.”
Despite the disagreement, VDM said there was no personal animosity between them and that they could still exchange greetings if they met.
“We are men. We can meet at a party and shake hands, but us coming together to do things would be difficult, especially after hearing what he said about me.”
VDM also rejected Seun Kuti’s suggestion that his relevance depends on the country’s failing institutions, saying he would not sit back and wait for the system to work while people continued to seek his help.
“He said that it’s because the country doesn’t work that’s why people like me are relevant, that if judges were doing their jobs I wouldn’t be relevant. Should I fold my hands and wait for these judges to do their job? No. I have people looking up to me to help them, and I have the resources now to make change.”
He said his goal is to create awareness and encourage Nigerians to play a role in demanding accountability rather than leaving everything to the government.
“It’s more about creating awareness because we cannot really change these things on our own. If you want to build this country and leave it in the hands of the government alone, we will not build it. We have to collectively do what we can.”
VDM also referenced Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, saying Fela was celebrated for speaking against injustice and questioning authority. He argued that people should not expect him to remain silent for doing the same.
He also accused Seun Kuti of taking inconsistent positions, noting that the singer had previously criticised Pastor Enoch Adeboye over what he described as “fake deliverance”, but later questioned him for calling out Prophet Jeremiah Fufeyin.
The disagreement between VDM and Seun Kuti has played out publicly over the past few months, with both men exchanging criticisms over activism, accountability and public issues. Their fallout reportedly deepened after they took opposing positions on matters involving activist Omoyele Sowore before expanding into broader disagreements over the role, methods and credibility of public advocacy.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
