The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained why it will not publicly name the forensic cybersecurity expert who investigated partisan social media posts allegedly linked to its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.
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INEC said the decision was deliberate, given that the case has now been formally handed over to a police unit, to avoid impeding the investigation.
The commission’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, disclosed this in an interview on Channels TV on Tuesday.
Bayode stated that INEC had already subjected its findings to “multiple layers of technical verification” before escalating the matter.
“The reason why we are not publicly disclosing this expert is because the matter is now going to the National Cybercrime Center under the Nigerian Police Force,” the official said.
The official explained that the NCCC is responsible for prosecuting cybercrime-related matters and would conduct an independent review of the case.
“This is a unit that is held with the responsibility of prosecuting any cybercrime matter. And everything that we have done, like I said earlier, is based on OSINT. I’m sure the Nigerian Cybercrime Centre, which is under the police force, will do their own investigation and they will come out with their own report,” the official added.
INEC stressed that its involvement in the matter does not end with the initial findings, noting that the case has been formally handed over for further scrutiny.
“This matter now is going to them. It’s not that INEC, Georgetown Commission and independent forensic cyber security expert. And we believe that the matter will end there.
“No, the matter is not ending there. And that is why INEC is taking it further to NCCC for them to also carry out their own…” the official said.
The development follows weeks of online controversy sparked by viral screenshots claiming the INEC chairman operated an X account (@joashamupitan) and made a partisan post, “Victory is sure,” purportedly in response to another user.
The allegations escalated after additional screenshots circulated on social media, purporting to show emails, phone numbers, BVN records, and data breach links tying the professor to the account—claims that were widely shared across platforms before being subjected to verification.
In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, on Monday, the commission said a detailed forensic investigation had exonerated Amupitan.
According to the report, the claims were “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
Relying on X platform data analysis, OSINT tools, internet archive records, and timestamp verification, it concluded that Prof. Amupitan “does not operate any personal X account.”
The report also debunked claims that the account was tied to Prof. Amupitan through email, phone number, or BVN records.
However, it sparked public debate, with many doubting the integrity of the report, given that it was commissioned by INEC.
The commission maintained that its decision to withhold the identity of the forensic expert was to allow the police cybercrime unit to carry out its investigation without interference.
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