By Jane OkaforAbuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has vowed to track down and prosecute those behind a fake X (formerly Twitter) account falsely linked to its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, after a forensic investigation cleared him of all allegations.
The controversy, which trended for weeks, was fueled by viral screenshots claiming the INEC chairman operated the handle @joashamupitan and posted a partisan message, “Victory is sure.”
The claims gained traction as more screenshots surfaced, allegedly tying the professor to the account through emails, phone numbers, and BVN data.
However, in a statement issued Monday by Chief Press Secretary Adedayo Oketola, INEC dismissed the allegations as false and warned the public against spreading unverified content o,,nline.
A detailed independent forensic and cybersecurity probe commissioned by the commission found the claims to be “fabricated, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
According to the report, Prof. Amupitan does not operate any personal X account. It described the handle in question as a clear case of impersonation, noting that all posts and interactions attributed to him were fraudulent.
Investigators uncovered major inconsistencies, including timestamp evidence showing the alleged reply “Victory is sure” was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet — an impossibility on any digital platform. The supposed reply was also found to be non-existent on both the live X platform and archived record.
Further findings revealed the account was created in September 2022 with no links to the chairman’s verified contacts. On the same day the screenshots went viral, the account was renamed to @sundayvibe00, switched to private, and labeled a parody account — a move investigators described as a clear attempt to cover tracks.
The probe also identified at least seven additional fake accounts across Facebook and Instagram, pointing to what it called a coordinated, multi-platform impersonation scheme.
Claims linking the account to the chairman via BVN, phone number, or email were also debunked. Investigators emphasized that such data does not establish ownership of a social media account, and no technical connection was found.
INEC has since referred the case to security agencies for investigation and possible prosecution under the Cybercrimes Act.
Reiterating its stance, the commission warned the public and media organizations to verify information before sharing, stressing that Prof. Amupitan has no personal social media presence.
“All official communications will only come through verified INEC channels,” the statement said, urging citizens to treat any other accounts claiming to represent the chairman as fraudulent.
