Ex-Presidential Candidate Questions INEC Chair’s Integrity

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, has raised concerns over the integrity of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, if an alleged 𝕏 account linked to him is eventually confirmed to be his.

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Adebayo spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, saying the controversy surrounding the account goes beyond technical arguments and touches on public confidence in the electoral body.

The former presidential candidate said the situation could raise serious questions if the account is traced to the INEC chairman despite his denial.

“If it is traced to him and he denies it, then it raises questions about integrity,” Adebayo said.

He added that the issue was significant because the credibility of the electoral umpire depends largely on public trust.

Adebayo noted that although digital content could sometimes be manipulated, technological tools exist to verify the ownership of online accounts.

“It is well known that in the digital space, you could manipulate anything, but there is forensic tracing of identity,” he stated.

According to him, the matter could be resolved through judicial or legislative processes.

“It is either someone will go to court to challenge his qualification on grounds of partisanship and present evidence or the National Assembly will conduct an investigation, possibly through its INEC committees,”

he added.

The SDP chieftain, however, clarified that even if the account were proven to belong to Amupitan, it would not automatically disqualify him from serving as INEC chairman.

He explained that the law requires only that the individual not belong to any political party at the time of appointment.

Adebayo further stated, “The requirement is that at the time of appointment, you should not be a member of any political party. It does not mean you could not have been a member in the past or that you did not vote.

“Someone who voted in 2023 can still become INEC chairman in 2025.”

Adebayo stressed that the central issue remains honesty and public confidence in the electoral process.

“In a simple matter like this, if you are already lying to the public and we are to trust you with determining election outcomes, then it becomes a question of integrity,” he added.