LThe Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday said that a forensic probe has shown that the allegation that its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, operates an X (formerly Twitter) account and made a partisan post is a case of digital impersonation.
In a statement issued on Monday, the electoral body said it subjected the viral claim—circulated through screenshots on social media—to a comprehensive forensic investigation, including an independent review by a cybersecurity expert.
The probe, it said, deployed X platform data, internet archive records, OSINT tools, identity forensics, and cross-platform analysis.
INEC said the findings showed that Amupitan does not operate any personal X account, stressing that all posts attributed to him are “fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation.”
Among the key findings, the commission noted that the disputed account, @joashamupitan, was created in September 2022 but had no linkage to the chairman’s verified email addresses.
It added that timestamp analysis exposed inconsistencies, including an alleged 2026 reply—“Victory is sure”—which appeared 13 minutes before the original post it purportedly responded to.
The commission further stated that searches on the Wayback Machine showed no record of the account prior to April 2026, while the alleged reply was absent from both live and archived threads.
‘Damage-Control Tactic’
INEC also pointed to what it described as a suspicious sequence of events on April 10, 2026—the same day the screenshots went viral.
According to the Commission, the account was immediately renamed to @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labelled as a parody.
“This is clearly a damage-control tactic by an impersonator seeking to eliminate a digital trail. The self-application of the ‘Parody’ label is particularly notable. It constitutes an implicit admission that the account was never Prof. Amupitan’s genuine personal account,” the statement signed by the chairman’s media aide, Adedayo Oketola, partly read.
The commission further added that at least seven fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using Amupitan’s name and photographs were identified, suggesting “a sustained and coordinated impersonation operation”.
Email, X Account
INEC also addressed claims linking the account to Amupitan’s email and phone number, stating that multiple recovery attempts on the X platform failed to establish any connection.
“All attempts by the maligned actors failed. The X platform would have confirmed linkage had any genuine association existed. Therefore, there is no linkage between the email account and the X account,” it said.
It further clarified that while the email address amupitanj@yahoo.com was verified through the University of Jos records and legal directories, no forensic link was found between the email and the disputed account.
On the phone number claim, the commission noted that although Bank Verification Number (BVN) data confirmed ownership of the number, it did not establish any connection to the X account.
“A phone number appearing in a BVN record cannot be used to establish social media account ownership. The public conclusion drawn that this phone number is his, therefore this X account belongs to him, is a logical fallacy, not forensic proof,” it added.
‘Forensic Evidence Comprehensive, Unambiguous’
The commission said both its internal review and independent forensic investigations reached the same conclusion “with high confidence,” describing the case as a coordinated disinformation campaign.
“The forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous. The posts attributed to Prof. Amupitan on X are fabricated,” it stated.
INEC urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified screenshots, warning about the growing risks posed by artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and digital manipulation.
It also disclosed that the forensic report has been forwarded to law enforcement agencies, calling for swift action to identify and prosecute those behind the impersonation under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
“Lastly, Prof. Joash Ojo. Amupitan, SAN, does not operate any personal account on X platform,” the commission said.
The allegation had emerged from viral screenshots circulating on social media alleging that the INEC chairman, who was appointed and sworn in by President Bola Tinubu five months ago, made a partisan comment on X in support of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The posts triggered widespread reactions online and criticisms from opposition leaders, prompting the electoral body to initiate a forensic investigation to verify their authenticity.
