Reputation Management In the Age of AI and Viral Storms: Lessons from the Oshiomole Jet Saga.

 By Ishola N. Ayodele

Warren Buffett once said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it". Now, in this age of AI and social media, it takes 30-SECOND to destroy a reputation.

This is because a 30-second video can now do what years of political opposition could not.

It can

i. End a career.

ìí. Damage a reputation.

iii. Rewrite a public narrative.

 

No press conference.

No court ruling.

No investigation.

Just one clip. One upload. One share.

And it’s everywhere.

Recently, Nigerians watched this play out.

A grainy private-jet video allegedly showing a man resembling Senator Adams Oshiomhole inside a luxury private jet cabin massaging the leg of a beautiful lady (Not his wife) (The Whistler Newspaper, 2026). Shared rapidly on platforms including SaharaReporters’ Facebook, it sparked outrage, memes, and calls for accountability, amplified against the backdrop of economic frustrations (The Whistler Newspaper, 2026).

Senator Oshiomhole’s media office, through aide Oseni Momodu, issued a strong denial, describing the clip as “a poorly crafted and edited fake AI video,” a “fabricated contraption” created by “malicious actors” for blackmail, reputation damage, or clicks. They highlighted alleged technical irregularities, particularly around the 0–0.6-second mark involving the woman boarding via airstairs versus the remaining interior footage, and urged social media regulation (Daily Post Nigeria, 2026; The Whistler Newspaper, 2026b).

The woman has been widely identified in media reports as South African lifestyle influencer and adult-content creator Leshaan Dagama (also spelled Leeshan Da Gama). On her Instagram Stories, she reportedly responded amid trolling: “Your senator is the problem, go be mad at him, not me.” Her statement, which did not deny the encounter, added fuel to speculation without resolving authenticity questions (Premium Times Nigeria, 2026).

A detailed fact-check by The Whistler applied multiple professional deepfake detection tools  Deepware Scanner, Zhuque AI Detection Assistant, AU Video Detector, Sight Engine, and Hive AI Deepfake Detection  finding no clear hallmarks of generative AI (e.g., unnatural blending, lighting inconsistencies, or lip-sync errors). Leading to a conclusion that the video is not AI-generated (The Whistler Newspaper, 2026a).

Another investigation by Edo broadcasting service (EBS) flagged potential deepfake indicators and leaned synthetic.

No independent, court-admissible forensic analysis has been publicly released by any party.

Therefore, Authenticity remains disputed.

This saga exemplifies a broader shift: social media has dismantled traditional gatekeepers. Once, spin doctors, paid journalists, or political muscle could “kill the story” or sweep it under the carpet. Today, one leaked clip reaches millions instantly. A landmark randomised controlled trial demonstrated this power: Facebook mobilisation messages from friends increased voter turnout far more effectively than impersonal ads  showing how personal networks amplify reach fourfold compared to controls (Bond et al., 2012).

Case studies worldwide illustrate the peril and the new accountability

A. Hong Kong deepfake financial fraud (2024)                                                                                        In early 2024, a finance worker at a multinational company in Hong Kong was tricked into transferring approximately $25 million (some reports cite up to $39 million) during a video conference call. The scammers used deepfake technology to impersonate the company’s chief financial officer and other senior executives, convincing the employee the transfer was legitimate and urgent. The fraud was only discovered after the money had been moved to multiple overseas accounts. The case highlighted the growing risk of real-time deepfake video being used for high-value corporate fraud. (Source: Hong Kong Police, CNN, Bloomberg, 2024)

B. Indian politician Palanivel Thiagarajan audio leak (2023)                                                                In April 2023, leaked audio recordings emerged allegedly showing Tamil Nadu DMK lawmaker and former Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan making critical remarks about his own party, praising the rival BJP, and discussing internal corruption. Thiagarajan immediately denied the authenticity of the clips, calling them “fabricated” and suggesting they were AI-generated deepfake audio created by a blackmail group to damage his reputation. Independent audio forensic analysis by journalists and experts found no signs of synthetic manipulation (consistent waveforms, natural background noise, absence of AI artifacts), confirming the recordings were genuine. The incident became a widely cited example of the “liar’s dividend” tactic. (Source: Rest of World, Indian media investigations, 2023)

Lessons for Public Officials & Leaders

In the age of smartphones, instant sharing, and increasingly sophisticated AI tools, the old rules of political survival have been permanently rewritten. Spin, delay, denial, and distraction no longer outrun reality. The only reliable defense left is character itself.

  1. The safest, most bulletproof strategy is ethical living                                                                 Whatever you do not want exposed, do not do it. No crisis team, no PR firm, no rapid-response unit can outpace a single 30-second authentic clip in today’s world. The moment the phone records, the moment the file leaves the room the story is already viral while the denial is still being typed.
  1. High moral standards, integrity, and visible transparency are now non-negotiable             They are not optional extras for leaders; they are the minimum requirement for preserving public    respect and political survival. As the striking African proverb declares: “When peeling   groundnut for a blind man, you must keep whistling so he knows you’re not eating it.” Today   there is no blind man. There is only a global audience that never sleeps, cameras always ready.
  1. When crisis hits, how you respond determines how much survives
    • Transparent communication builds credibility faster than any polished apology.
    • Evidence-backed rebuttals (metadata, forensic analysis, timestamps, source verification) carry real weight.
    • Genuine accountability when appropriate can restore respect where denial destroys it.
    • Blanket, evidence-free cries of “it’s AI-generated” in the face of mounting verification usually accelerate the damage.
  1. Society must also rise to the challenge                                                                                              Beyond individual leaders, this moment demands collective responsibility:
    • Citizens urgently need stronger digital and media literacy to separate real from synthetic content.
    • Platforms must practice responsible moderation without crossing into censorship.
    • Governments and societies may need smarter cyber laws that punish malicious deepfakes while fiercely protecting free expression and press freedom.

Conclusion

In the end, no firewall, be it legal, technological, or rhetorical can protect what should never have been created. The timeless truth, now amplified by cameras in every pocket and AI that exposes lies faster than they can spread, is brutally clear: live so that if every hidden moment were laid bare tomorrow, nothing could break youbecause nothing worth hiding ever happened. In 2026 and beyond, integrity is no longer just a virtue or a nice-to-have; it has become the only currency that cannot be deepfaked, the only shield that still holds when the viral storm arrives. Whatever you cannot afford to see trending, simply do not do.

©Ishola, N. Ayodele is a distinguished and multiple award-winning strategic communication expert who specializes in ‘Message Engineering’. He helps Organizations, Brands and Leaders Communicate in a way that yields the desired outcome. He is the author of the seminal work, 'PR Case Studies; Mastering the Trade,' and Dean, the School of Impactful Communication (TSIC). He can be reached via ishopr2015@gmail.com or 08077932282.

 

References

Bond, R. M., Fariss, C. J., Jones, J. J., Kramer, A. D. I., Marlow, C., Settle, J. E., & Fowler, J. H. (2012). A 61-million-person experiment in social influence and political mobilization. Nature, 489(7415), 295–298. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11421

Bradshaw, S., Bailey, H., & Howard, P. N. (2021). Industrialized disinformation: 2020 global inventory of organized social media manipulation. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. https://demtech.oii.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2021/01/CyberTroop-Report-2020-v.2.pdf

Daily Post Nigeria. (2026, February 4). Fake AI footage – Oshiomhole debunks viral private jet video. https://dailypost.ng/2026/02/04/fake-ai-footage-oshiomhole-debunks-viral-private-jet-video

McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding media: The extensions of man. McGraw-Hill.

Premium Times Nigeria. (2026, February). Viral private jet clip was AI-generated, Oshiomhole says, as South African model shades Nigerians. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/naija-fashion/854385-viral-private-jet-clip-was-ai-generated-oshiomhole-says-as-south-african-model-shades-nigerians.html

The Whistler Newspaper. (2026a). FACT-CHECK: Viral Oshiomhole foot-massage video not AI-generated. https://thewhistler.ng/fact-check-viral-oshiomhole-foot-massage-video-not-ai-generated

The Whistler Newspaper. (2026b). Oshiomhole denies viral private jet video, claims clip is AI-generated. https://thewhistler.ng/oshiomhole-denies-viral-private-jet-video-claims-clip-is-ai-generated/

WIRED AI Elections Project. (2024). Election deepfakes dataset & related coverage. https://www.wired.com/story/generative-ai-global-elections/

 


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