By David Lawani, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed as false claims linking its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to a controversial X (formerly Twitter) account, describing the development as a calculated disinformation campaign.
In a statement issued on Monday, the commission said an independent forensic investigation found no evidence that the chairman owns or operates any personal X account, stressing that the viral posts attributed to him were fabricated.
INEC said the probe deployed multiple layers of digital verification, including platform data analysis, checks of the Internet Archive, and identity forensics, all of which “conclusively establish” that Amupitan has no connection to the disputed account.
Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, said the incident reflects a deliberate attempt to manipulate public perception and erode confidence in the electoral body.
“The posts attributed to Prof. Amupitan on X are fabricated, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation,” he said.
He added that the pattern of activity surrounding the account pointed to “a coordinated digital impersonation and disinformation campaign” designed to mislead the public.
According to the commission, one of the strongest pieces of evidence was a timestamp inconsistency showing that a viral reply, “Victory is sure,” appeared 13 minutes before the original tweet it allegedly responded to.
“No platform can receive a reply before the original post is published. This is physically impossible,” INEC said, noting that the anomaly “proves that the screenshot was digitally fabricated.”
The investigation also found no linkage between the account and the chairman’s known email address or phone number, dismissing claims based on BVN and data breach records as “a logical fallacy, not forensic proof.”
INEC further disclosed that the account was renamed and set to private on the same day the screenshots went viral, before being labelled a “parody account.”
“This is clearly a damage-control tactic by an impersonator seeking to eliminate a digital trail,” the commission said.
The controversy followed the circulation of screenshots on social media suggesting that Amupitan had engaged in partisan commentary, raising concerns about the electoral umpire’s neutrality.
However, INEC insisted the claims were false and warned of the dangers of amplifying unverified digital content, especially in an era of artificial intelligence and deepfakes.
“The fact that content goes viral does not make it authentic,” the commission stated, urging the public to rely only on its verified communication channels.
The commission said the matter has been referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation and possible prosecution, adding that those responsible could face charges under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
