INEC Chairman Amupitan denies operating X account used to support President Tinubu in 2023 election

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has denied operating an account on X after a profile linked to him was alleged to have expressed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.

“I have never operated an X account. The account was never linked to my email,” Amupitan reportedly said. The account, previously identified by the handle @joashamupitan, reportedly replied to a post by former APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel celebrating the party’s victory in a predominantly Igbo community in Lagos. The reply read, “Victory is sure.”

The post drew scrutiny over Amupitan’s impartiality as head of the commission responsible for overseeing Nigeria’s elections. INEC had earlier said he did not own or operate a personal account on X.

In a statement on 10 April 2026, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, described the allegations as fabricated and intended to undermine the credibility of the chairman and the commission. INEC also said fraudulent accounts had allegedly been created in Amupitan’s name to mislead and defraud members of the public. It said it was working with security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to identify those behind the suspected impersonation.

An investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), republished by FactCheckHub, found similarities between the partially hidden email and phone details displayed by X for account recovery and contact information associated with Amupitan. The report said conclusively establishing who operated the account would require records held by X, including login history, IP addresses and device records, which were unavailable to the public.

INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission had yet to obtain verified forensic evidence linking Amupitan to the account. He said INEC had referred the matter to security agencies and was considering an independent forensic examination.

The dispute has renewed scrutiny of INEC’s transparency and impartiality as the commission prepares for the 2027 general elections.

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