The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that all social media posts attributed to its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, on X platform are fabricated and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.
A forensic investigation report released on Monday found the claims to be “fraudulent, technically impossible, and forensically unverifiable,” firmly establishing that Amupitan does not operate any personal X account.
According to the report, one of the most damning findings was a timestamp inconsistency. An alleged reply from the fake account appeared 13 minutes before the original tweet it was responding to—an occurrence investigators described as impossible on any legitimate digital platform.
Further verification using account recovery tools, email tracing, and phone number analysis showed no link between the fake account and Amupitan’s verified contact details. Claims tying the account to BVN and OPay data were dismissed as misleading, while widely circulated data breach records were found to be unrelated.
Digital archive checks also contradicted claims about the account’s history. Investigators found no trace of the account before April 2026, despite assertions it had existed since 2022. The alleged reply itself does not exist on the live X platform.
INEC revealed that on the day the screenshots went viral, the account was renamed, switched to private, and labelled a parody account moves seen as attempts to erase evidence and evade scrutiny.
The probe uncovered a wider impersonation network, including fake Facebook and Instagram profiles using Amupitan’s identity and recycled images across platforms. The commission said the pattern points to a deliberate effort to manipulate public perception.
INEC has now referred the case to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act.
The commission urged Nigerians and media organisations to verify online content before sharing, warning that viral posts are not always authentic, especially in an era of growing AI-driven manipulation.
INEC reiterated that all official communications are issued only through its verified channels and advised the public to treat any personal account claiming to represent Amupitan as fraudulent unless officially confirmed.
Providing context, the chairman’s media aide, Adedayo Oketola, said the controversy began on April 10, 2026, when screenshots surfaced alleging Amupitan made a partisan post via an X account. Additional claims linking his identity through emails, phone numbers, and financial data soon followed.
Oketola said the chairman immediately denied the claims and authorised a full forensic probe, which has now confirmed the posts were entirely fabricated.
