INEC Exposes Fake X Account Used to Frame Chairman Amid ADC Youth Protests
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has detailed how a fabricated X account was used in a coordinated attempt to frame its chairman, Prof. Joash O. Amupitan (SAN), following a forensic investigation that found no link between him and viral posts attributed to his name. This revelation comes as youths from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are set to protest at INEC offices in Lagos, Ogun, and Jigawa states today, demanding Amupitan's removal under the #AmupitanMustGo campaign.
ADC Youth Protests and Allegations
ADC National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, shared flyers on X for the Lagos and Ogun demonstrations, both tagged 'Operation Occupy INEC'. The Lagos protest is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. from Yaba College of Technology, while the Ogun protest will start at 11 a.m. at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) office in Abeokuta. This follows a similar 'Occupy INEC' protest in Abuja on April 8, 2026, which included prominent opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, and Dino Melaye.
INEC's Forensic Investigation Findings
INEC stated that the probe, conducted with independent cybersecurity experts, established that the X account @joashamupitan and the controversial post "Victory is sure" were products of digital manipulation and impersonation. The disinformation surfaced on April 10, 2026, when screenshots circulated online claiming Amupitan had made a partisan comment in response to a post by @dayoisrael. The claims gained traction after being accompanied by alleged supporting data, including email addresses, phone numbers, and bank verification details.
According to INEC, through the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, forensic analysis dismantled the claims, describing them as "technically impossible" and part of a wider effort to mislead the public. Key findings include:
- A timestamp anomaly showing the alleged reply was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet it purportedly responded to.
- No trace of the alleged reply on the X platform, with exhaustive searches returning zero results linking the content to any account operated by Amupitan.
- Failed attempts to connect the disputed account to Amupitan's verified email address or phone number through X's password recovery system.
- The X account was created in September 2022 but had no linkage to Amupitan's Yahoo or UNIJOS emails.
- Wayback Machine searches show zero records of @joashamupitan on X before April 2026, and the account was renamed to @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labeled 'Parody Account' on the same day the screenshots went viral, consistent with deliberate impersonation.
Support from University of Jos Faculty of Law
In support of Amupitan, the Faculty of Law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) dismissed allegations by former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, against Amupitan over the purported commercialisation of results of 16 "special students" in the 2009/2010 session while he was Dean. The Dean, Prof. Francis Kwede, stated that there was no manipulation or trading off of results, and since no facts or records substantiate the allegation, it should be ignored as partisan political rhetoric.
This comprehensive response from INEC and academic backing highlights the challenges facing electoral integrity and the spread of misinformation in Nigeria's political landscape.
