The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has debunked claims surrounding a controversial X (formerly Twitter) account, @joashamupitan, which falsely claimed to belong to Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, describing it as part of a coordinated impersonation and disinformation campaign.
INEC, in a public statement released on Monday, said a detailed forensic investigation had confirmed that Professor Amupitan does not own or operate any personal X account, contrary to viral claims linked to the handle.
The controversy erupted on April 10, 2026, after screenshots of a partisan post reading, “Victory is sure,” allegedly posted by Professor Amupitan from the @joashamupitan account, circulated widely across social media and mainstream news platforms.
The viral post triggered public concern and prompted INEC to issue an immediate disclaimer while commissioning an independent forensic investigation into the matter.
“Our investigation confirms that Professor Amupitan does not operate any personal X (Twitter) account,” an INEC spokesperson said.
“All the alleged posts, replies, or statements attributed to him on X are fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.”
According to the commission, the forensic review was carried out by an independent cybersecurity expert using X platform data, internet archive records, Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) tools, identity forensics, and cross-platform analysis.
The findings revealed that the disputed account was originally created in September 2022, but investigators found no verifiable connection between it and Professor Amupitan’s known email addresses, phone numbers, or other digital identifiers.
INEC further disclosed that timestamp analysis of the controversial “Victory is sure” post showed it was uploaded just 13 minutes before the original post by another user identified as @dayoisreal, strongly suggesting manipulation of digital evidence.
The commission also said the Wayback Machine, a digital archive tool, showed no record of the @joashamupitan account before April 2026, further undermining claims that the account genuinely belonged to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Investigators uncovered what they described as deliberate impersonation and damage-control tactics.
On the same day the screenshots went viral, the account was reportedly renamed to @sundayvibee00, switched to private mode, and later labelled a “Parody Account” in what INEC described as an attempt to conceal its true identity and avoid scrutiny.
The forensic team also identified at least seven fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using Professor Amupitan’s name and photographs, pointing to what the commission called a “sustained and coordinated impersonation operation” across multiple social media platforms.
Further technical checks showed that attempts to recover the X account using Professor Amupitan’s official email address failed, confirming there was no linkage between him and the account.
Similarly, phone number verification, OPay checks, and Bank Verification Number (BVN) investigations found no connection to the professor, despite online claims attempting to tie him to specific contact details.
INEC also noted that while data breach records listed Professor Amupitan as an active X user linked to some email addresses, those records predated the creation of the fake account and did not prove ownership or control of the disputed handle.
“The evidence is overwhelming and leaves no room for doubt,” an INEC official said.
“This meticulously planned campaign sought to leverage a respected public figure’s identity for nefarious purposes. INEC remains committed to upholding the integrity of public discourse and will continue to combat disinformation with robust forensic capabilities.”
The commission warned that the incident highlights the rising threat of sophisticated digital impersonation and urged Nigerians to verify sensitive information before sharing, especially during politically charged periods.
INEC stressed that public vigilance remains critical in preventing the spread of falsehood and protecting the integrity of democratic institutions.
