*As Commission Threatens Prosecution Under Cybercrimes Act
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The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan SAN, has denied operating any personal account on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), dismissing as a total fabrication the viral claim that he endorsed a partisan post supporting the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 presidential election period.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, the commission described the allegation as “entirely baseless, a total fabrication, and a figment of the imagination of its purveyors,” insisting that the Chairman has “at no time engaged in partisan commentary, nor has he ever associated himself with any political leaning or activity.”
The denial comes hours after a resurfaced screenshot from 2023 showing an X account bearing the name @joashamupitan posting “Victory is sure” under a post by known APC figure Dayo Israel went viral on social media, triggering calls for Amupitan’s resignation under the hashtag #AmupitanMustGo and raising questions about the neutrality of Nigeria’s electoral umpire ahead of the 2027 elections.
The INEC statement left no room for ambiguity in its denial, categorically stating that the Chairman does not operate any personal account on X.
The commission stressed that Amupitan has “at no time engaged in partisan commentary, nor has he ever associated himself with any political leaning or activity” — a sweeping denial that covers not only the specific 2023 post but any form of political expression on social media.
INEC described the timing of the viral post as deliberate, characterising it as “a desperate attempt to impugn the integrity and neutrality of the Chairman” at a critical moment when the commission is focused on electoral reforms and preparations for upcoming polls.
The commission did not specify who it believes is behind the alleged fabrication or what their motivation might be, but the reference to “deliberate timing” suggests INEC views the controversy as a coordinated effort linked to the current political tensions including the ADC leadership crisis, INEC’s removal of the Mark-Aregbesola names from its portal, and broader opposition discontent with the electoral body’s decisions.
In a significant disclosure, INEC revealed that cybercriminals have been operating fake social media accounts in the Chairman’s name to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
The commission stated that several such fraudulent accounts had already been identified and reported to security agencies, describing the current fabrication as “merely a continuation of a criminal pattern aimed at exploiting the Commission’s profile for illicit gains.”
This claim that the @joashamupitan account was one of several fake accounts operated by cybercriminals rather than the Chairman’s personal account represents the commission’s explanation for the existence of an X account bearing Amupitan’s name, credentials, and identifying information.
INEC stated that it is working with relevant security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to track those behind what it described as identity theft and a misinformation campaign.
The commission vowed to prosecute offenders under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, which criminalises identity theft and the dissemination of deepfake or forged social media interactions.
“The Commission is working with relevant security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to track those behind the identity theft and misinformation campaign,” the statement read.
The threat of prosecution under the Cybercrimes Act introduces a legal dimension to the controversy, potentially targeting not only whoever created the account but also those who circulated the screenshot a move that could be interpreted as an attempt to silence critics or as a legitimate effort to combat identity theft, depending on one’s perspective.
INEC urged the public to disregard the viral post entirely and to rely only on the commission’s verified institutional channels and formal press statements for official information.
The commission’s verified institutional account on X is @inecnigeria, which has been the sole channel for official INEC communications throughout Amupitan’s tenure.
However, the denial raises questions that are likely to sustain the controversy rather than resolve it.
The account’s bio details, name, and identifying information aligned with Amupitan’s public profile. The account had low activity — approximately 23 posts — consistent with a personal rather than institutional account.
Critically, when the controversy erupted, the account was not simply reported as fake or ignored it was actively altered. The username was changed from @joashamupitan to @Sundayvibe00, the account was locked to prevent public viewing, and the profile was relabelled as a “Parody Account.”
These actions username change, locking, and relabelling require access to the account’s login credentials. If the account was operated by cybercriminals as INEC claims, the question arises: who made these changes, and how did they have access to alter the account at the precise moment the controversy was trending?
The fact that the account was changed and locked rather than reported as impersonation which X’s platform allows any affected user to do — is a detail that critics are likely to continue highlighting.
The INEC statement was met with scepticism on social media, with many users pointing to the evidence linking the account to Amupitan’s personal email and the suspicious timing of the account changes.
Others noted that if cybercriminals had indeed been operating accounts in the Chairman’s name, it would have been expected that INEC or Amupitan would have publicly flagged this issue earlier particularly given that the account had existed since September 2022, over three years before the denial.
Supporters of the INEC Chairman, however, pointed to the commission’s categorical denial as sufficient and argued that without definitive proof that Amupitan personally operated the account, the allegations remain unverified.
The controversy is unlikely to dissipate following the denial. Opposition parties, civil society organisations, and social media commentators have already seized on the issue as evidence of INEC’s alleged bias toward the ruling APC.
If INEC follows through on its threat to prosecute under the Cybercrimes Act, it would need to demonstrate that the account was indeed operated by cybercriminals rather than the Chairman — an investigation that would require examination of IP addresses, login records, and email verification data from X’s platform.
The #AmupitanMustGo campaign is expected to intensify, particularly as the 2027 election cycle enters its critical phase with party primaries approaching.
For INEC, the challenge is clear: whether the viral post is genuine or fabricated, the controversy has already damaged public confidence in the Chairman’s neutrality — confidence that is essential for the credibility of the electoral process. How the commission addresses this credibility gap in the coming weeks will be closely watched by all stakeholders in Nigeria’s democracy.
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