Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed it will pursue the arrest of individuals behind the fabrication of a fake X account allegedly linked to its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, following a detailed forensic investigation that exonerated him. In a statement issued on Monday, April 20, 2026, by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the commission described the claims as “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign”. The controversy erupted on April 10, 2026, when viral screenshots began circulating on social media, alleging that the INEC chairman operated the X handle @joashamupitan and made a partisan post, “Victory is sure,” in reply to another user.
The allegations intensified after additional screenshots surfaced, purporting to show emails, phone numbers, Bank Verification Number records, and data breach links tying the professor to the account. At the time, the African Democratic Congress caucus in the House of Representatives had even called for the removal and prosecution of the INEC chairman over the allegations of partisanship.
The commission’s response was swift. It commissioned an independent forensic and cybersecurity investigation that conducted a multi-layered digital probe using X platform data analysis, open-source intelligence tools, internet archive records, identity forensics, and cross-platform verification. The findings were unambiguous: Prof. Amupitan does not operate any personal X account. In a statement that left no room for ambiguity, the investigators declared: “The X account attributed to Prof. Amupitan is a clear case of impersonation. All alleged posts, replies or statements linked to him are fraudulent and unverifiable”.
The probe established that the disputed account was created in September 2022 but had no linkage whatsoever to the chairman’s verified email addresses or official institutional contacts.
The most striking piece of forensic evidence centered on a glaring timestamp anomaly. The viral screenshots showed the alleged “Victory is sure” reply timestamped at 4:05 PM, yet forensic verification confirmed that the original post it was said to respond to was published at 4:18 PM Nigerian time, thirteen minutes later. “The alleged reply ‘Victory is sure’ was posted 13 minutes before the original post it responded to,” the report stated. “This is physically impossible on any digital platform”. Investigators further established that the supposed reply has never existed on the live X platform nor in any archived version. “The reply has never existed on X. It is absent from both live threads and historical records,” the report added. Checks using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine revealed no trace of the account or any activity attributed to it before April 2026, effectively dismantling claims of long-term activity.
The investigation also uncovered a deliberate impersonation pattern that pointed to a coordinated scheme. On the very same day the screenshots went viral, the disputed account was renamed from @joashamupitan to @sundayvibe00, switched to private mode, and labelled a “Parody Account.” Investigators described this as a clear damage-control tactic. “The renaming and ‘parody’ label is consistent with damage-control by an impersonator,” the report stated. Beyond the X platform, the probe identified at least seven additional fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram using Prof. Amupitan’s name and photographs, pointing to what officials described as a “multi-platform coordinated impersonation effort”. Some of those accounts dated back as far as 2018, indicating a sustained campaign rather than an isolated incident.
The commission also firmly debunked claims that the account was tied to the chairman through email, phone number, or BVN records. While investigators confirmed that the professor’s phone number is validly registered, they emphasised: “A phone number appearing in BVN records does not establish ownership of a social media account. There is no technical linkage between the X account and the phone number or email address”. Efforts to connect the account using X’s verification and recovery systems yielded no ties to any official identity associated with the INEC chairman. The commission stressed that repeated recovery attempts failed to establish any link, and that the data used to suggest ownership only confirmed identity, not control of any social media handle, making such claims a logical fallacy.
With the forensic report now in hand, INEC has referred the matter to security agencies for further investigation and possible prosecution under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act. The commission warned the public and media organizations against spreading unverified social media content, urging strict verification standards before publication. Oketola noted that advancements in artificial intelligence have made it increasingly easy to fabricate misleading digital content, and that “the fact that content goes viral does not make it authentic”.
INEC reiterated that Prof. Amupitan does not maintain any personal social media accounts, and that all official communications will continue to be issued exclusively through verified commission channels. As security agencies now work to trace the architects of the disinformation campaign, the commission has made its position clear: those behind the impersonation will face the full weight of the law.
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