The inclusion of social media personality VeryDarkMan (VDM) Martins Vincent Otse as a panelist at the ongoing 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in Port Harcourt has generated mixed reactions among lawyers and other users on X, with some questioning the choice while others defended his participation.
According to the official conference programme, VeryDarkMan is listed to participate in the Day Five plenary titled “Known Gun Men,” scheduled for Tuesday, August 25, 2026, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:40 a.m.
The session is designed to bring together security leaders, lawyers and policymakers to discuss the legal and institutional gaps fuelling insecurity in Nigeria.
Other persons listed for the plenary include the Inspector-General of Police; Director-General of the State Security Service; Chief (Dr.) Anthony Okechukwu Ojukwu; Dele Farotimi, Esq.; A.T. Aboki, Esq.; and Ebun-Olu Adegoruwa, SAN, who is listed as moderator. The session is coordinated by Folashade Abiodun.
However, VDM’s inclusion quickly triggered debate online, particularly among users who questioned whether his profile and public activities made him an appropriate speaker at the premier annual gathering of Nigerian lawyers.
One of the strongest reactions came from X user Foza Billions, who questioned the value members were receiving from their professional dues.
“I am paying NBA dues for them to invite VDM to come and speak?” she asked.
Another user, Dearest B, described the development as embarrassing and referenced the NBA’s earlier engagement of controversial Nigerian singer Portable.
“The NBA is so embarrassing! First Portable, now VDM. Nobody objected in the committee?” she wrote.
Another commentator, Mazi Ifenna, focused on the financial commitments lawyers make to attend the Annual General Conference, including registration, accommodation and travel expenses.
He questioned the decision to feature VDM after delegates had incurred substantial costs travelling to Port Harcourt for the conference.
“Imagine paying all that money to register for the AGC. Then you pay for accommodation. You even pay for flight tickets, with other miscellaneous expenses that come with it. Only to arrive and see VDM on the panel,” he wrote.
Several other users joined the criticism.
One lawyer, Charity Adama, Esq., reacted simply: “For real?”
Another user said he would rather spend his time elsewhere than attend the conference, describing VDM’s inclusion as a step backwards.
Some commentators questioned what they considered a growing tendency to place internet popularity and social-media influence alongside traditional professional credentials at major institutional events.
One user asked: “Are we normal in this country?”, while another complained that lawyers were taught extensively about the nobility of the profession only to see personalities they considered inconsistent with that image being placed on NBA platforms.
“After making us cram RPC about nobility of the profession, these are the people you want to be touching body with the profession?” the user wrote, referring to the Rules of Professional Conduct governing lawyers.
Another commentator remarked that Nigeria appeared increasingly attracted to people with significant online “clout”.
There were also reactions referring to the NBA’s previous engagement with Portable, with one user saying that after the musician’s appearance, “nothing is surprising again.”
However, the reactions were not uniformly critical.
Some users questioned why VDM’s inclusion should be considered problematic, while others defended his public influence and ability to speak about issues affecting ordinary Nigerians.
One commenter asked simply: “Why is this a problem?”
Another went further, saying he trusted VDM with his case more than some of those criticising the invitation.
Yet another described the social-media activist as “a child of grace”, arguing that his growing public prominence should not be dismissed merely because he does not fit the conventional profile expected at a lawyers’ conference.
The divergent reactions have consequently opened a broader conversation about who should be given platforms at professional conferences and whether expertise should be determined exclusively by professional qualifications or can also extend to people with practical experience, advocacy influence and substantial public following.
VDM, whose real name is Martins Vincent Otse, has built a large following through social-media interventions on alleged injustice, consumer complaints, public accountability and disputes involving public figures and institutions.
His unconventional methods and confrontational style have, however, also repeatedly attracted criticism and controversy.
His listing alongside security officials, senior lawyers and human-rights advocates for a discussion on insecurity has therefore divided opinion, with critics questioning the standards used in selecting conference speakers while supporters argue that unconventional voices can contribute perspectives that traditional actors may not provide.
Importantly, the reactions circulating on X represent the opinions of individual lawyers and other social-media users and should not be interpreted as the collective position of the Nigerian legal profession.
Attention will now turn to the “Known Gun Men” plenary and whether VDM’s contribution to the discussion on Nigeria’s security challenges will address some of the concerns raised by those questioning his inclusion.
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