Professor Joash Amupitan, the head of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, has firmly rejected claims that he managed an X profile used to back President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress during the 2023 polls. Speaking at a London forum on Thursday, Amupitan revealed that he had referred the issue to the Department of State Services and the police, noting that an independent review had been secured to address the controversy. The discussion, hosted by the Kimpact Development Initiative alongside Chatham House, centered on democratic stability and the path toward the 2027 elections.
Amupitan maintained that he never possessed an X profile, explaining that his efforts to resolve the dispute failed because he was not a registered user. "I never had an X account," he stated, according to Punch. He suggested the scandal arose coincidentally with a court decision regarding the African Democratic Congress, implying the timing was a deliberate attempt to tarnish his reputation and weaken the electoral body. He argued that attacking his personal integrity was a strategy employed by those wishing to destabilize the institution.
The accusations began after a profile named @joashamupitan appeared to respond to a message from former youth leader Dayo Israel, who was celebrating an APC win in a Lagos district. The profile reportedly shared the phrase "Victory is sure." This incident sparked concerns about Amupitan’s neutrality as the official overseeing national votes. INEC had previously labeled the claims as fake, with media adviser Adedayo Oketola stating in April 2026 that impersonators created the accounts to deceive citizens.
Although a report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, shared by FactCheckHub, identified similarities between hidden contact data on X and information linked to Amupitan, it concluded that definitive proof required private platform records. INEC’s ICT director, Lawrence Bayode, confirmed that the commission lacked verified forensic data connecting Amupitan to the profile. Amupitan asserted that security agency probes had proven the allegations false, adding that prior accusations about his education and legal ties to the president had also been dismissed.