The Independent National Electoral Commission has said findings from its forensic investigation show that an X account attributed to its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, is fake, describing all posts linked to him as part of a coordinated disinformation effort.
The commission disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, April 20, 2026, following a probe triggered by viral social media claims suggesting the chairman made a partisan comment ahead of future elections.
First Daily reports that the issue emerged when screenshots circulated online, allegedly showing a reply from the handle @joashamupitan to @dayoisreal stating “Victory is sure.”
The post sparked criticism and raised concerns over the neutrality of the electoral body.
Detailing the outcome of its investigation in a statement titled “FABRICATED X (TWITTER) ACCOUNT OF PROF. JOASH AMUPITAN, SAN,” INEC said the chairman immediately denied owning the account and ordered a forensic analysis by independent cybersecurity experts.
“On 10th April 2026, Prof. Joash Amupitan’s attention was drawn to posts and screenshots on social media claiming he operated an X (Twitter) account (@joashamupitan) and made a partisan post (‘Victory is sure’) in reply to @dayoisreal.
“Shortly after, more screenshots appeared online showing emails, phone numbers, OPay and BVN verification data, and data breach records linking Prof. Amupitan to the X (Twitter) account,” the statement read.
According to the commission, the investigation deployed platform-level data analysis, internet archive checks, open-source intelligence tools, identity forensics, and cross-platform verification techniques.
Presenting its findings, INEC quoted directly from the forensic report.
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“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,” the statement added.
The commission said the probe uncovered that the disputed account was created in September 2022 with no verifiable connection to the chairman’s known email addresses.
It also found that the alleged 2026 reply carried a timestamp inconsistent with the platform’s system, while the account was renamed to a “Parody Account” and made private on the same day the screenshots went viral.
Further checks using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, according to INEC, returned no records of the account prior to April 2026, reinforcing doubts about its authenticity.
INEC also dismissed claims linking the account to Amupitan through phone numbers or data breach records, stating that such associations do not amount to forensic proof of ownership.
In addition, the commission said it identified at least seven fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using the chairman’s images, describing them as part of a sustained impersonation campaign.
The electoral body urged the public to disregard the false information and rely only on its verified communication channels, reiterating its commitment to transparency and the integrity of the electoral process.
First Daily recalls that Senate President Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, April 14, during the inauguration of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) new headquarters in Abuja, defended the alleged comment linked to Prof. Amupitan.
Akpabio said the remark had been misinterpreted and was not politically biased, stating: “They brought out a tweet… saying the INEC chairman said victory is sure. But he didn’t say victory is sure for APC or PDP. He just said victory is sure.”