The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed as false a series of viral social media posts allegedly linked to its Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, stating that a comprehensive forensic investigation has confirmed he neither owns nor operates any account on X.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Adedayo Oketola, described the posts as digitally fabricated and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at misleading the public.
The controversy began on April 10, 2026, when screenshots surfaced online claiming that an X account under the handle @joashamupitan had posted a politically suggestive message, “Victory is sure,” in response to another user. The content quickly gained traction across social and traditional media, accompanied by alleged supporting data, including emails, phone numbers, and financial verification records.
INEC said it commissioned an independent forensic cybersecurity expert to investigate the claims using platform data, open-source intelligence tools, internet archive records, and cross-platform analysis. The findings, according to the commission, were “clear, comprehensive, and unambiguous.”
A key piece of evidence cited was a timestamp inconsistency. The alleged reply attributed to the chairman was marked at 4:05 PM, while the original post it purportedly responded to was verified to have been published at 4:18 PM—thirteen minutes later. Investigators described this as a technical impossibility, confirming the screenshot had been manipulated.
Further checks using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine found no trace of the account prior to the day the screenshots emerged. Additionally, the disputed post could not be located on the live X platform, and searches yielded no record of the content ever existing.
INEC also revealed that the account in question was quickly renamed, set to private, and labelled as a “Parody Account” shortly after the controversy erupted—moves the commission described as attempts to erase digital footprints.
Efforts to link the account to the chairman through email and phone verification processes reportedly failed, while claims involving BVN and OPay data were dismissed as speculative and lacking forensic validity.
The investigation further uncovered multiple fake social media profiles impersonating Prof. Amupitan across platforms, some predating his appointment as INEC chairman in October 2025.
Describing the incident as a “coordinated digital impersonation operation,” the commission said it has forwarded the forensic report to law enforcement agencies for further action under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
INEC reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and urged the public to disregard the false claims circulating online.
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