The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has denied allegations that he owns or operated an X account that reportedly expressed support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election.
Amupitan said the matter had been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector General of Police for investigation. He also disclosed that an independent investigative report had been obtained to help establish the facts surrounding the controversy.
The INEC chairman made the remarks on Thursday during a public dialogue at Chatham House in London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative. The discussion focused on Nigeria’s 2027 elections, democratic development and regional stability beyond the ballot.
Responding to a question about whether an independent investigation had confirmed that he was not behind the disputed account, Amupitan said he had never operated an X account and had been unable to contact the platform directly because he was not a registered user.
“We have an independent report and the matter was also reported to the DSS as well as to the IG,” he said.
He explained that his regular email service was Yahoo and insisted that the account in question had no connection to him.
“I have my Yahoo mail. I check Yahoo mail. It was never my account. And that is the truth,” he stated.
Amupitan added that some civil society organisations had also shown interest in examining the allegations.
He further suggested that the controversy emerged at a time when the electoral commission was facing criticism over a court ruling involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the interpretation of a status quo ante bellum order.
According to him, the timing raised concerns that the allegations were part of a wider effort to undermine INEC by attacking its leadership.
“The only way that people could bring down an institution was to say, ‘Oh, this person,’” he said.
The electoral chief also rejected earlier claims that he had been part of President Tinubu’s legal team or had made false statements about his educational background. He maintained that investigations by the DSS and the police had found those allegations to be untrue.
“There were several accusations before then. For instance, that I was a member of the legal team of the President, that I said I went to school, but that is not true. They were investigated and discovered not to be true,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Amupitan expressed confidence in INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, assuring Nigerians that the commission was working towards delivering an electoral exercise the country would be proud of.
