A forensic investigation commissioned by INEC has cleared Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan of partisan allegations, revealing that viral screenshots were part of a coordinated disinformation campaign involving a fraudulent impersonation account.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced its intention to track down and prosecute the individuals behind a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan. The decision follows an independent forensic and cybersecurity investigation that fully absolved the Chairman of allegations that he operated a partisan X (formerly Twitter) account. The controversy was sparked by viral screenshots of a handle, @joashamupitan, which had purportedly replied “Victory is sure” to a political post. In a statement issued on Monday, April 20, 2026, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, dismissed the claims as “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
The forensic probe, which utilized X platform analytics and Internet Archive data, uncovered significant technical inconsistencies that proved the evidence was tampered with or fraudulent. Most notably, investigators found that the alleged reply was timestamped 13 minutes before the original post it was supposedly responding to—a feat described in the report as “physically impossible on any digital platform.” Furthermore, the report revealed that the account attempted to cover its tracks by changing its handle to @sundayvibe00 and switching to private mode as the screenshots gained traction. “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 investigative report stated.
Beyond the X platform, the investigation identified at least seven additional fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram as part of a “multi-platform coordinated impersonation effort.” The commission also debunked claims that the account was linked to the Chairman’s personal data, such as his BVN or phone number, clarifying that no technical linkage exists between the fraudulent account and the Professor’s official records. “The renaming and ‘parody’ label is consistent with damage-control by an impersonator,” the report noted. INEC has cautioned the public against the circulation of unverified content and reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process against digital sabotage.
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