The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Adedayo Oketola, Monday said a purported X account attributed to the commission’s chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, was fake and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Mr. Oketola said a comprehensive forensic investigation had established that the INEC chairman did not operate any personal X account, adding that all posts, replies, and screenshots linking him to the handle @joashamupitan were fraudulent and technically impossible.
The controversy, according to the CPS, began on April 10, 2026, when viral social media posts alleged that the chairman made a partisan comment – “Victory is sure” – in response to another user.
Oketola noted that the claims were accompanied by screenshots and purported digital records, including email, phone number, and bank verification data, which were widely circulated as proof.
However, Mr. Oketola said investigations conducted by the commission, alongside independent cybersecurity experts revealed that the claims were entirely false.
“The forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous. The posts attributed to Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan on X are fabricated. The account is a clear case of impersonation,” he said.
Providing further details, the CPS added that timestamp analysis exposed clear manipulation, noting that the alleged reply was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet it purportedly responded to, an occurrence he described as “physically impossible on any digital platform.”
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