Forensic Investigation Clears INEC Chairman of Fake X Account Claims

Forensic Investigation Clears INEC Chairman of Fake X Account Claims

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

Nigeria’s electoral body has dismissed allegations linking its chairman, Joash Amupitan, to a controversial X (formerly Twitter) account, following what it described as a comprehensive forensic investigation that found the claims to be fabricated.

In a statement issued Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, the Independent National Electoral Commission said the viral screenshots and posts attributed to the chairman were the product of a coordinated impersonation and disinformation campaign.

The controversy began on April 10, 2026, when social media users circulated claims that Amupitan operated an X account under the handle @joashamupitan and had posted a politically suggestive comment. The posts were accompanied by purported digital records, including email and phone data, which were presented as proof of ownership.

INEC said the chairman promptly denied owning or operating any personal X account and ordered a full-scale digital investigation.

According to the commission, an independent cybersecurity expert conducted a multi-layered analysis using platform data, open-source intelligence tools, identity forensics and internet archive records.

“The forensic investigation conclusively establishes that Prof. Amupitan does not operate any personal X account,” the statement said. “All posts and screenshots attributed to him are fraudulent, technically unverifiable and part of a coordinated disinformation effort.”

Key findings from the probe pointed to multiple inconsistencies in the viral claims. Investigators found no connection between the disputed account and the chairman’s known email addresses or phone number, despite attempts to establish such links through official account recovery processes.

The report also identified a critical flaw in the timeline of the alleged post. A reply credited to the account was timestamped 13 minutes before the original post it purportedly responded to; an anomaly described as “physically impossible on any digital platform.”

INEC said this discrepancy, alongside other evidence, confirmed that the content had been manipulated.

“The timestamp anomaly is proof that the screenshot was edited or digitally fabricated before circulation,” the statement noted.

Further checks using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine found no trace of the account or its alleged activity prior to April 2026, contradicting claims that it had been active earlier.

The commission also revealed that the account in question was renamed and set to private on the same day the controversy broke, before being labelled a “parody account”, a move interpreted as an attempt to erase its digital footprint.

Beyond X, investigators uncovered multiple fake accounts bearing the chairman’s name and image across Facebook and Instagram, suggesting a broader impersonation scheme.

INEC warned that publicly available personal data had been misused to create what it described as “forensic-looking but false linkages,” cautioning against drawing conclusions from such materials.

“The fact that content goes viral does not make it authentic,” the statement said, urging the public and media organisations to verify sensitive information through official channels before dissemination.

The commission added that the forensic report had been forwarded to law enforcement agencies for further action, including identifying those behind the alleged impersonation.

It also reiterated that all official communications from the commission are issued through its verified platforms and not through personal accounts of its officials.