‘Technically Impossible’ – Forensic Probe Clears INEC Chair, Amupitan From Viral Post

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has further defended its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, saying a forensic investigations have proven social media posts attributed to him were fabricated.

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“The independent forensic investigation report conclusively establishes that Prof. Amupitan does NOT operate any personal X (Twitter) account. All the alleged posts… are fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation,” the statement added.

Naija News reports that the commission, in a statement on Monday, issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, maintained that Amupitan does not own or operate any social media account, despite the circulation of posts allegedly made by him.

According to the statement, both internal reviews and independent forensic investigations confirmed that the Chairman has no presence on 𝕏 or any other social media platform.

“After discovering the disinformation, Prof. Amupitan, through his Chief Press Secretary, issued an official statement to debunk the falsehood and clearly stated that he had never owned or operated an 𝕏 (Twitter) account,” the statement read.

The Commission revealed that a detailed forensic analysis uncovered inconsistencies that render the viral claims untenable.

It noted that the controversial post allegedly made by the Chairman was published 13 minutes before the original message it was purportedly responding to.

“Timestamp analysis shows the alleged 2026 reply (‘Victory is sure’) was posted 13 minutes before the original post by @dayoisreal. This is physically impossible on any digital platform,” Oketola stated.

No Link to Email, Phone Number – INEC

INEC further dismissed attempts to link the account to Prof. Amupitan using email, phone number, and financial data.

According to the Commission, multiple recovery and verification attempts on the X platform failed to establish any connection between the account and the Chairman.

“The X platform would have confirmed linkage had any genuine association existed. Therefore, there is no linkage between the email account and the X account,” the statement added.

It also clarified that the appearance of the Chairman’s phone number in BVN or OPay records does not constitute proof of ownership of any social media account.

“A phone number appearing in a BVN record cannot be used to establish social media account ownership. The public conclusion drawn… is a logical fallacy, not forensic proof,” Oketola said.

The Commission described the situation as a coordinated disinformation campaign involving multiple fake accounts.

It disclosed that at least seven fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using Prof. Amupitan’s identity were identified during the investigation.

Additionally, the 𝕏 account in question was reportedly renamed and marked as a parody account shortly after the controversy erupted.

“On April 10, 2026, the same day the screenshots went viral, @joashamupitan was renamed to @sundayvibe00, set to private, and labelled ‘Parody Account’. This is consistent with deliberate impersonation and damage-control,” the statement noted.

INEC said the findings of the forensic investigation have been forwarded to relevant security agencies for further action.

The Commission also urged Nigerians to refrain from sharing or engaging with the disputed content.