The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says a forensic investigation has shown how an X account linked to its chairman Joash Amupitan was created and used for impersonation.
In a statement on Monday, the chairman’s chief press secretary Adedayo Oketola, said the account @joashamupitan and posts attributed to Chairman Amupitan are not genuine.
The claim started on April 10 after screenshots circulated online suggesting that Amupitan operated the account and posted a reply that read, “Victory is sure.”
Mr Oketola said INEC engaged an independent cybersecurity expert to carry out a forensic investigation using platform data, internet archives and open-source tools.
According to him, the report found that Amupitan does not operate any personal X account.
“All the alleged posts, replies, or statements attributed to him on X are fraudulent and unverifiable,” the statement said.
INEC said the investigation also found changes to the account on the same day the screenshots went viral.
The account was said to have been renamed to @sundayvibe00, set to private and later marked as a parody account.
On claims linking the account to Amupitan’s email and phone number, the commission said tests showed no connection.
“The X platform would have confirmed linkage if any existed. There is no link between the email account and the X account,” Oketola said.
He added that a phone number in a bank verification record cannot be used to establish ownership of a social media account.
The commission also said there was a timing issue in the viral screenshot.
“The alleged reply was recorded 13 minutes before the original post. This is not possible on any platform,” Oketola said, adding that the screenshot was edited before it was shared.
INEC said searches on X showed that the alleged reply does not exist.
The commission added that similar accounts using Amupitan’s name were found on Facebook and Instagram.
It described the case as impersonation and said the report has been sent to law enforcement agencies for further action.
INEC also urged the public not to share unverified content online.
