*Sparking Calls For Resignation And #AmupitanMustGo Campaign
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A resurfaced and now-deleted tweet from 2023 in which an X (formerly Twitter) account bearing the name and credentials of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan SAN, posted “Victory is sure” in apparent support of the All Progressives Congress under a post by known APC figure Dayo Israel, has triggered a firestorm of controversy made worse by what happened next.
Within hours of the screenshot going viral, the account @joashamupitan was swiftly altered: the username was changed to @Sundayvibe00, the account was locked to prevent public viewing, and the profile was relabelled as a “Parody Account” a sequence of actions that critics described as a panicked attempt at damage control that only deepened suspicion about the INEC Chairman’s partisan affiliations.
The controversy has sparked calls for Amupitan’s resignation under the hashtag #AmupitanMustGo, with Nigerians across political lines questioning whether a man who openly cheered for the APC in 2023 can credibly oversee the 2027 general elections as the head of Nigeria’s supposedly independent electoral body.
The controversy centres on a post made in 2023, during Nigeria’s presidential election period, from the X account @joashamupitan. The account replied to or interacted with a post by Dayo Israel a prominent APC figure with the words “Victory is sure,” a phrase widely interpreted as an open expression of support for the APC and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
At the time, the post attracted little attention. Amupitan was then a law professor, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Jos — a private citizen with no connection to INEC. He was not appointed INEC Chairman until October 23, 2025, by President Tinubu.
The post lay dormant for over two years until recent tensions over INEC’s handling of opposition party recognitions particularly its decisions regarding the PDP factions and the African Democratic Congress prompted critics to dig through Amupitan’s social media history.
When the screenshot resurfaced and began trending on social media, the reaction from the account holder was swift and, in the eyes of critics, damning.
Within hours of the screenshot going viral, a series of changes were made to the @joashamupitan account.
The username was changed from @joashamupitan to @Sundayvibe00 a generic, unidentifiable handle that bore no connection to the INEC Chairman’s name or identity.
The account was locked, switching to “protected” status, which prevents non-followers from viewing any posts, replies, or activity.
The profile was relabelled as a “Parody Account” an apparent attempt to create plausible deniability by suggesting the account never belonged to Amupitan in the first place.
Previous posts were reportedly deleted.
The speed and nature of these changes occurring precisely as the controversy was trending struck many Nigerians as confirmation rather than denial.
“If the screenshot flying around is true then this is not INEC, this is APC Electoral Commission! A man who was openly posting ‘Victory is sure’ for Tinubu in 2023, now suddenly changes his username and locks his account the moment he’s exposed? Same old rigging playbook,” one user wrote.
Another stated: “Deleting posts won’t change anything. Calls for his resignation continue.”
A check confirmed several key facts about the account.
The X account @joashamupitan (account ID: 1567086242164101120) was created on September 6, 2022. The controversial “Victory is sure” post was made in 2023, approximately six to twelve months after the account was created.
The account was tied to the email address amupitanj@yahoo.com the same personal Yahoo email listed on Professor Amupitan’s publicly available Curriculum Vitae from his time as a professor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Jos, Faculty of Law. His CV also lists amupitan@unijos.edu.ng as his official university email.
Hours later, all information on the account was removed and the profile was marked as closed. TheNigeriaLawyer could not immediately verify whether the account belonged to an impersonator or the INEC Chairman, as public officials in Nigeria often engage third parties to manage their social media accounts.
The account had very low activity overall, with only approximately 23 posts visible in recent checks before it was locked. The bio details, name, and other identifying information on the account aligned with Amupitan’s public profile as a law professor, SAN, and legal practitioner.
The username change from @joashamupitan to @Sundayvibe00 occurred on the same day the controversy began trending a fact verifiable through X’s account ID system, which remains constant regardless of username changes.
The controversy is compounded by a recent interview in which Amupitan stated that he does not take sides politically a claim that critics say is directly contradicted by the 2023 post.
“And he said in the interview that he doesn’t take sides politically. A professor and SAN can lie to the world,” one user wrote on X.
Another noted: “Neutrality is the bare minimum required for a functional democracy and this evidence makes it clear that the 2027 process is already compromised from the start.”
The revelation has generated intense reaction on social media, with Nigerians expressing a range of views from outrage to scepticism.
Critics of the INEC Chairman have been vocal. “I’ve been tweeting since that INEC is at the beck and call of APC and some people thought that I was joking. When you see the way INEC is moving, you don’t need a seer to tell you where loyalty is. APC has every institution in Nigeria in the bag,” one prominent commentator wrote.
“INEC chairman is being nominated by the president and Nigerians are made to believe he will undergo scrutiny under the Senate that’s in bed with the president? And you expect transparency? That’s delusional on the part of Nigerians,” another stated.
Some users called for immediate action. “This is why all Nigerians must come out with #INECChairmanMustStepDown,” one wrote. Another declared: “No ADC, no election. Let’s all be mad together.”
However, some voices urged caution. “We need tech specialists to help us verify this before we go to town with it,” one user wrote. Another asked: “You actually believed that handle belongs to the INEC Chairman?”
A third user raised a specific question: “Is there any evidence that the twitter account belongs to the INEC chairman? Has the account tweeted anything official from INEC?”
Some users raised legal concerns about the account changes themselves. “Who will sue him for changing it to parody? He has breached a social media compatibility law. High level of criminality of identity,” one user argued.
The question of whether a public official can relabel an account bearing their real name and credentials as a “parody account” after it attracts controversy raises novel questions about digital identity, accountability, and the obligation of public officials to be transparent about their social media presence.
The INEC Chairman is expected to be strictly non-partisan under the Nigerian Constitution. The Independent National Electoral Commission was established to serve as an impartial arbiter of elections, and public confidence in its neutrality is fundamental to the credibility of the democratic process.
While the “Victory is sure” post was made before Amupitan’s appointment when he was a private citizen entitled to his political opinions critics argue that the post reveals a pre-existing partisan disposition that cannot simply be switched off upon assuming office.
The timing of the controversy is particularly sensitive. With the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, and party primaries expected between April 23 and May 30, 2026, questions about the INEC Chairman’s impartiality go to the heart of whether the upcoming elections will be free, fair, and credible.
INEC’s recent decisions including the removal of the ADC leadership from its portal, its handling of PDP factionalism, and its implementation of the Electoral Act 2026 — are now being viewed through the lens of the resurfaced tweet, with critics arguing that the Chairman’s actions in office reflect the same partisan alignment evident in his 2023 social media activity.
Neither the INEC Chairman nor the commission has issued an official response to the controversy as of the time of this report.
The calls for Amupitan’s resignation are likely to intensify, particularly from opposition parties and civil society organisations that have already expressed concerns about INEC’s independence.
Whether the National Assembly which confirmed Amupitan’s appointment will take any action, or whether the controversy will remain confined to social media and public discourse, remains to be seen.
The “Parody Account” label now attached to the @Sundayvibe00 handle the account that was @joashamupitan until the controversy erupted — stands as a digital artifact of a controversy that, regardless of how it is ultimately resolved, has significantly damaged public confidence in the neutrality of Nigeria’s electoral umpire barely nine months before the next presidential election.
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