The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the findings of a forensic investigation into an alleged X account linked to its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan.
Adedayo Oketola, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Amupitan, said in a statement on Monday that the investigation found that the account, @joashamupitan, and all posts attributed to the INEC chairman were fake and “forensically unverifiable.”
The controversy began on April 10 when social media users circulated screenshots alleging that Amupitan operated the account and made a partisan comment, “Victory is sure”, in response to another user.
The claim was further amplified by screenshots showing emails, phone numbers, OPay and bank verification number (BVN), which were circulated as proof of ownership.
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However, Oketola said INEC commissioned an independent forensic cybersecurity expert to conduct a “multi-layered forensic and digital investigation” using platform data, internet archives, and open-source intelligence tools to investigate the claim.
“The independent forensic investigation report conclusively establishes that Prof Amupitan does NOT operate any personal X (Twitter) account,” the statement reads.
“All the alleged posts, replies, or statements attributed to him on X (Twitter) are fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation.”
The INEC chairman’s spokesperson said the report found that the disputed account underwent suspicious changes on the same day the screenshots went viral.
He noted that the account, originally said to be @joashamupitan, was renamed to @sundayvibe00, and then set to private before being later labelled a parody account.
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“This is clearly a damage-control tactic by an impersonator seeking to eliminate a digital trail,” Oketola said.
On claims linking the account to Amupitan’s email and phone number, he said forensic tests found no connection, adding that attempts to connect the account to a phone number through OPay and BVN checks were unsuccessful.
“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,” he said.
“A phone number appearing in a BVN record cannot be used to establish social media account ownership.”
Oyetola described such a conclusion as “a logical fallacy, not forensic proof.”
He also dismissed claims based on data breach records, saying they were “non-specific” and “do not establish ownership, control, or operation of any X (Twitter) account.”
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He said one of the most significant findings was a timestamp inconsistency in the viral screenshot.
“The alleged reply was timestamped 13 minutes before the original post existed. No platform can receive a reply before the original post is published. This is physically impossible,” he said.
“It is proof that the screenshot was edited or digitally fabricated before circulation.”
He added that searches on the live X platform showed that the alleged reply does not exist and has never existed.
Oyetola said the investigation uncovered a wider pattern of impersonation across multiple platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
“The forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous. The posts attributed to Prof. Amupitan on X are fabricated,” he said.
“The account is a clear case of impersonation, and the surrounding activity points to a coordinated disinformation effort intended to manipulate public perception.
