Media scholar, Farooq Kperogi, has claimed that Nigerians are inadvertently increasing the bank balances of Joash Amupitan by sending token transfers while demanding his resignation over an alleged partisan social media account.
In a commentary published on Thursday, April 9, 2026, Kperogi detailed how online users attempted to verify the ownership of an X (formerly Twitter) account initially linked to Amupitan, alleging that their findings pointed to the electoral chief.
“Apparently, in trying to determine if the X handle… belongs to INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, some Nigerians attempted to log in by using the ‘forgot password’ route,” he wrote.
According to him, users input email addresses and phone numbers publicly associated with Amupitan, after which the platform displayed partial recovery identifiers that reportedly matched those details.
To further validate the claim, Kperogi said individuals tested the phone number through banking platforms.
“They tested the phone number through Opay and GTBank transfers. The name that appeared was ‘Joash Ojo Amupitan.’ It can’t get more unimpeachably factual than that. That is fool-proof institutional data tied to BVN-linked banking records,” he stated.
He added that the number was also checked on Truecaller, where it allegedly appeared as “Joash Ojo Amupitan (Prof),” noting that the convergence of multiple identifiers made the claims difficult to dismiss.
Kperogi further alleged that Nigerians sent messages to an email address linked to the account—reportedly listed in Amupitan’s CV—urging him to step down, adding that the email had since been disabled.
“At that point, convinced the pro-Tinubu account belonged to him, people began calling and texting the number until it was switched off,” he wrote.
He said the online campaign later evolved into a form of digital protest, with users sending small amounts of money to the alleged accounts while attaching messages calling for resignation.
“Then they switched tactics. They started sending ₦1 or ₦10 transfers to his Opay and GTB accounts, using the remarks field to tell him to resign,” Kperogi said.
“So now, in a strange twist, public outrage is padding his bank balance. Imagine millions sending token amounts just to deliver a message. His accounts are getting fatter by the day.”
Describing the situation as an “inadvertent money-making tragedy,” Kperogi argued that continued denial of ownership of the account could damage the electoral chief’s credibility.
“At this point, frankly, denying ownership of the account is becoming unbearably embarrassing and eroding the faintest vestige of credibility… It’s like insisting your hands are clean while they are still inside the cookie jar,” he added.
He advised that, given Nigeria’s political realities, resignation may be unlikely, but urged transparency.
“The next sensible step… is candor. He should acknowledge his past support… as a private citizen and state that he has since shed partisan loyalties,” Kperogi said.
