A comprehensive independent forensic and cybersecurity investigation commissioned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has found that partisan social media posts attributed to its chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan were “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
Investigators pointed out that “a phone number appearing in BVN records does not establish ownership of a social media account. There is no technical linkage between the X account and the phone number or email address.”
According to them, multiple recovery attempts through X platform verification tools failed to connect the account to any official identity belonging to the INEC chairman.
The audit, which relied on X platform data analysis, OSINT tools, internet archive records and timestamp verification, concluded that Prof. Amupitan “does not operate any personal X account.”
The investigation follows weeks of online controversy sparked by viral screenshots claiming the INEC chairman operated an X account (@joashamupitan) and made a partisan post, “Victory is sure,” purportedly in response to another user.
Things escalated after additional screenshots circulated on social media, purporting to show emails, phone numbers, BVN records and data breach links tying the professor to the account, claims that were widely shared across platforms before being subjected to verification.
In the statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, on Monday the commission warned against spreading unverified social media content.
A key section of the findings stated, “The X account attributed to Prof. Amupitan is a clear case of impersonation. All alleged posts, replies or statements linked to him are fraudulent and unverifiable.”
The investigation further revealed that the disputed account was created in September 2022 but had no linkage to the professor’s known email or official institutional contacts. One of the most critical findings centered on timestamp analysis of the viral post.
The report stated, “The alleged reply ‘Victory is sure’ was posted 13 minutes before the original post it responded to. This is physically impossible on any digital platform.”
Investigators also confirmed that the supposed reply does not exist on the live X platform or in any archived version, adding,”The reply has never existed on X. It is absent from both live threads and historical records.”
“The Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) reportedly showed no trace of the account or any activity attributed to it before April 2026.
The report also uncovered what it described as a “deliberate impersonation pattern.”
It noted that on the same day the screenshots went viral, the disputed account was renamed from @joashamupitan to @sundayvibe00, set to private, and tagged as a “Parody Account”
Investigators said this sudden change strongly suggested an attempt to erase digital traces.
“The renaming and ‘parody’ label is consistent with damage-control by an impersonator,” the report stated.
At least seven fake social media accounts across Facebook and Instagram were also linked to similar identity misuse, reinforcing what investigators described as a “multi-platform coordinated impersonation effort.”
INEC said the matter has now been referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
