Oshiomhole Denies Viral Private Jet Video, Labels Footage AI Manipulation

Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has rejected as untrue a trending video circulating on social media that appears to show him giving a woman a foot massage aboard a private jet, PulseNets learnt.

The footage, which went viral on Tuesday, captures a man alleged to be the lawmaker attending to a woman during a flight. Early online narratives claimed the woman was Oshiomhole’s wife, Lara Fortes, a Cape Verdean lawyer and former model.

However, PulseNets obtained information indicating that the woman seen in the clip is Leshaan Dagama, a South African influencer known for lifestyle and adult-oriented content, contradicting the initial claims that dominated social media discussions.

The emergence of the video triggered intense backlash from Nigerians, many of whom criticised what they described as an open display of luxury. The outrage was amplified by the country’s prevailing economic hardship and past public remarks attributed to the senator concerning rising food prices.

Several online platforms also identified the woman as a South African lifestyle influencer and adult content creator, a detail that further fuelled debate around privilege, accountability, and the private conduct of public office holders.

Responding to the controversy, Oshiomhole’s media office firmly dismissed the video as fabricated, telling PulseNets that the clip was “a badly manipulated and poorly edited AI-generated video designed to blackmail the senator and tarnish his public image.”

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The media team further argued that the footage contains clear signs of digital tampering, pointing to “noticeable visual distortions and inconsistencies, particularly around the six-second point of the roughly 30-second clip,” which they described as evidence of artificial intelligence interference rather than a real-life event.