Amupitan Breaks Silence on Alleged Pro-Tinubu X Account

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has dismissed allegations linking him to an X account accused of promoting President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election.

Speaking on Thursday, November 12, at a dialogue organised by Chatham House in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative in London, Amupitan insisted that he had never created or operated an account on the social media platform.

He maintained that the disputed account did not belong to him and said his attempt to contact X over the controversy was unsuccessful because he was not a registered user.

The controversy centres on an account bearing the handle @joashamupitan, which reportedly responded to a post by former APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, celebrating the party’s victory in a predominantly Igbo community in Lagos during the 2023 elections.

The account allegedly replied with the words, “Victory is sure”, triggering questions about the INEC chairman’s political neutrality.

During the discussion, the INEC chairman disclosed that the matter had been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the office of the Inspector-General of Police.

He also confirmed that an independent investigative report had been obtained, while some civil society organisations had expressed interest in examining the allegations.

Amupitan further linked the controversy to attempts to discredit his leadership and weaken public confidence in the electoral commission.

The controversy had previously attracted attention in April 2026 when INEC publicly denied that its chairman operated a personal X account, describing the allegations as fabricated.

However, an investigation by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) published on April 20 identified similarities between contact details associated with Amupitan and partially masked recovery information linked to the disputed account.

The investigation also cautioned that the similarities did not conclusively establish who operated the account, as access to X’s internal login and device records was required.

Amupitan also dismissed other allegations linking him to President Tinubu’s legal team and questioned claims about his academic background, saying investigations by security agencies had found them to be unfounded.

He maintained that INEC remained focused on preparations for the 2027 general elections and expressed confidence that the commission would deliver an election Nigerians would be proud of.