Nigerian Commission INEC To Arrest Impersonators, Says Forensic Probe Cleared Chairman Of Fake X Account

Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has confirmed plans to arrest individuals behind a fake social media account linked to its chairman after a forensic investigation cleared him of involvement.

The controversy began weeks ago when screenshots went viral on X, formerly Twitter, alleging that the INEC chairman operated an account with the handle @joashamupitan and made a partisan comment, “Victory is sure,” in response to another user.

The situation escalated as more screenshots circulated online, claiming to show emails, phone numbers, BVN records and data breach links allegedly connecting the chairman to the account, with the claims widely shared before verification.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the commission warned the public against spreading unverified social media content.

According to the commission, a comprehensive independent forensic and cybersecurity investigation found the allegations to be false, describing them as “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”

The report, based on analysis of X platform data, OSINT tools, internet archive records and timestamp verification, concluded that Prof. Amupitan “does not operate any personal X account.”

Providing further clarification, the investigators 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 findings showed that while the disputed account was created in September 2022, it had no connection to the chairman’s known email addresses or official institutional contacts.

On the viral post itself, the report identified a key inconsistency, stating, “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 established that the reply never existed on the platform, noting, “The reply has never existed on X. It is absent from both live threads and historical records.”

The report added that the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) showed no trace of the account or any activity linked to it before April 2026.

It further uncovered what it described as a deliberate impersonation pattern, revealing that the account was renamed from @joashamupitan to @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labelled a parody account on the same day the screenshots went viral.

“The renaming and ‘parody’ label is consistent with damage-control by an impersonator,” the report stated.

The investigation also identified at least seven fake accounts across Facebook and Instagram linked to similar identity misuse, suggesting a coordinated impersonation effort across platforms.

Addressing claims linking the account to personal data, investigators clarified, “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.”

INEC confirmed that repeated recovery attempts using X verification tools failed to connect the account to any official identity of the chairman.

The commission said the matter has been referred to law enforcement agencies for investigation and prosecution under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.

“The forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced and unambiguous. The posts attributed to Prof. Amupitan are fabricated. The account is a clear case of impersonation,” the statement read.

It added, “The public is advised to refrain from sharing or amplifying unverified screenshots. Media organisations must apply strict verification standards before publication.”

INEC also urged social media platforms such as X, Meta and Instagram to strengthen rapid response systems to tackle impersonation of public officials.

The commission reaffirmed that Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan does not operate any personal social media account and that all official communication will continue to be issued through verified INEC channels.

“Any account purporting to represent the INEC Chairman should be treated as fraudulent unless confirmed through official sources,” the statement added.