INEC to Pursue Arrest of Persons Behind Fake X Account Linked to Chairman
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will pursue the arrest and prosecution of individuals responsible for creating and circulating a fake X (formerly Twitter) account falsely linked to its Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan.
The Commission disclosed this after concluding a forensic investigation into allegations that partisan comments were posted from a social media account said to belong to the INEC chairman.
According to INEC, the investigation cleared Prof. Amupitan of any involvement, describing the account as a case of digital impersonation intended to mislead the public and damage the credibility of the electoral body.
The controversy began after screenshots surfaced online showing a post from an account bearing the chairman’s name allegedly responding to a political discussion with the phrase, “Victory is sure.” The post triggered criticism and raised concerns over the neutrality of the Commission.
However, INEC said its findings showed multiple inconsistencies that pointed to fabrication.
Among the discoveries cited by the Commission was that the alleged reply appeared to have been made before the original post it was responding to, a discrepancy it said undermined the authenticity of the screenshot.
INEC also stated that no evidence of the disputed post could be found on the live X platform or through publicly accessible digital archives reviewed during the investigation.
The Commission further noted that the account in question reportedly changed its username after the controversy erupted, later becoming private and describing itself as a parody page.
In addition, investigators reportedly uncovered several fake accounts on other social media platforms using the chairman’s identity.
INEC said the matter has been referred to relevant security and law enforcement agencies for further action, with possible prosecution under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes Act and other applicable laws.
The Commission reaffirmed that Prof. Amupitan does not operate any personal X account and urged the public to rely only on verified official communication channels.
