In Abuja, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that a detailed digital forensic probe has firmly determined that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, neither owns nor manages any account on X.
The commission also stated that widely circulated posts credited to him on social media were artificially created as part of an organized misinformation operation aimed at misleading the public.
This position was made known in a statement issued in Abuja by the Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Mr. Adedayo Oketola, after weeks of viral screenshots suggested that the INEC boss had made a politically charged comment on the platform.
According to the statement, the issue began on April 10, 2026, when Prof. Amupitan became aware of online claims alleging he operated an X account with the handle @joashamupitan. The posts in question showed the account replying “Victory is sure” to another user identified as @dayoisreal.
These images quickly gained traction across social media and conventional media outlets. Additional materials such as alleged email records, phone details, OPay information, BVN data, and supposed leaked database files were circulated as supporting proof linking the chairman to the account.
In response, INEC engaged an independent cybersecurity specialist to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation. The expert employed multiple techniques, including platform data analysis, internet archive verification, open-source intelligence (OSINT), identity authentication checks, and cross-platform tracking.
The outcome of the investigation, according to Oketola, was clear and decisive. He explained that the digital evidence, gathered from various independent sources, showed no ambiguity: the posts attributed to Prof. Amupitan were fabricated, and the account itself was an impersonation designed to deceive. He further noted that the pattern of activity suggested a deliberate and coordinated attempt to distort public perception.
One of the most compelling findings was a critical timestamp inconsistency described as conclusive proof of manipulation. The viral screenshot displayed the alleged reply from @joashamupitan as having been posted at 4:05 PM. However, forensic verification confirmed that the original post by @dayoisreal was published at 4:18 PM Nigerian time thirteen minutes later.
INEC emphasized that such a sequence is technically impossible on any digital platform, as a response cannot precede the original message. The commission stressed that this was not a simple timing error or a difference in time zones, but strong evidence that the screenshot had been altered or entirely fabricated, possibly with the aid of artificial intelligence tools.
Further checks using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine revealed no trace of the @joashamupitan account prior to April 10, 2026. There were no archived profiles, posts, or any digital footprint indicating its existence before the controversy emerged.
Additional live verification on X also showed that the supposed “Victory is sure” reply does not appear within the actual conversation thread of @dayoisreal. Extensive searches across the platform failed to produce any record of such a post originating from the disputed account.
Investigators also highlighted suspicious activity on the same day the screenshots went viral. The account in question was quickly renamed to @sundayvibe00, switched to private mode, and later marked as a “Parody Account,” further reinforcing conclusions that it was created for deceptive purposes.
