The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has again rebuffed claims linking its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to a controversial X account, after an independent forensic investigation exonerated him.
The Commission, in a detailed statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Adedayo Oketola, on Monday, described the development as a coordinated digital impersonation and disinformation campaign against his principal.
According to Oketola, findings from an independent forensic investigation “conclusively establish that Prof. Amupitan does NOT operate any personal X (Twitter) account.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) committed to a full forensic investigation, commissioned an independent forensic cybersecurity expert, who conducted a multi-layered forensic and digital investigation using X platform data, internet archive records, OSINT tools, identity forensics and cross-platform analysis.
“The independent forensic investigation report conclusively establishes that Prof Amupitan does NOT operate any personal X (Twitter) account. All the alleged posts, replies, or statements attributed to him on X (Twitter) are fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation,” he said.
The response followed viral screenshots, circulating on social and traditional media, which purportedly showed an account bearing Amupitan’s name with a political post “victory is sure” in response to a post by a user affiliated to a particular political party.
The posts, which were widely presented as evidence of partisan bias, sparked calls for Amupitan’s resignation.
However, INEC said forensic analysis exposed fatal inconsistencies that render the claims baseless.
“Timestamp analysis shows the alleged 2026 reply… was posted 13 minutes before the original post… This is physically impossible on any digital platform,” the Commission stated, adding that the anomaly is “proof that the screenshot was edited or digitally fabricated.”
The Commission further disclosed that comprehensive checks using internet archive tools found no historical trace of the account or its alleged activity.
“Wayback Machine searches show zero records… No archived profile. No archived posts. No trace of any account activity before April 10, 2026,” the statement noted.
Real-time verification on the X platform also contradicted the claims.
According to INEC, “the reply does not exist on the platform. It has never existed,” while all legitimate responses to the original post were timestamped after it was published.
Addressing attempts to link the account to Amupitan’s personal data, INEC said multiple recovery tests conducted on the platform failed to establish any connection.
“The X platform would have confirmed linkage had any genuine association existed,” it said.
On claims involving BVN and OPay verification, the Commission clarified that such assertions were misleading.
“This confirms only that Prof. Amupitan owns the phone number. It does not, in any technical sense, connect the phone number to the X account,” the statement explained, describing contrary conclusions as “a logical fallacy, not forensic proof.”
INEC revealed that the account at the centre of the controversy exhibited classic impersonation patterns.
On April 10, 2026, the same day the screenshots went viral, the handle @joashamupitan was renamed @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labelled a “parody account.”
“This is clearly a damage-control tactic by an impersonator seeking to eliminate a digital trail,” the Commission said, adding that the retroactive “parody” label “constitutes an implicit admission that the account was never Prof. Amupitan’s genuine personal account.”
Apart from the X controversy, the Commission said investigators uncovered a broader scheme involving multiple fake identities.
“At least seven fake Facebook and Instagram accounts… were identified. This pattern suggests a sustained and coordinated impersonation operation,” INEC disclosed.
The Commission warned that the misuse of publicly available personal data and historical breach records had been exploited to create “forensic-looking, but ultimately false linkages.”
It stressed that such data “do not establish ownership, control, or operation of any X (Twitter) account.”
While describing the findings as definitive, INEC said the evidence is “comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous,” stating that the incident forms part of a deliberate attempt to manipulate public perception.
“The fabrication of the X account is not an isolated incident,” the statement noted, quoting an independent investigator as describing it as “a coordinated digital impersonation and disinformation campaign.”
INEC urged the public to exercise caution in the consumption and dissemination of online content.
The Commission warned that “The fact that content goes viral does not make it authentic,” particularly in an era of advancing artificial intelligence and digital manipulation tools.
It also charged media organisations to prioritise accuracy over speed.
“Media organisations… have a duty to apply strict forensic verification standards… Accuracy, not speed, must guide reporting,” it stated.
INEC confirmed that the forensic report has been forwarded to law enforcement agencies for further action, including identifying and prosecuting those responsible under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
While reiterating its position, the Commission emphasised that “Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan… does not operate any personal account on X platform,” advising the public to rely solely on its verified channels for authentic information.
It added that “any account purporting to represent Prof. Amupitan in a personal capacity should be treated as fraudulent until formally verified by INEC.”
