I Never Owned Pro-Tinubu X Account – INEC Chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has maintained that he never operated an X(formerly Twitter) account allegedly used to express support for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election.

Amupitan disclosed that the controversy had been reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police, adding that an independent report had also been obtained.

He spoke on Thursday at a dialogue organised by Chatham House in London in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative.

The event was themed “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

Responding to questions about the investigation into the disputed account, the INEC chairman said he had never owned an X profile and had been unable to contact the platform directly because he was not a registered user.

He also maintained that the account had no connection to his personal email address, adding that some civil society organisations had expressed interest in examining the matter.

“I never had an X account. I tried to get in touch with X, but there’s no way if you don’t have an account,” he said.

“I have my Yahoo mail. I check Yahoo mail. It was never my account. And that is the truth,” he added. 

Amupitan suggested that the controversy emerged at a time when the commission was facing criticism for its handling of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership dispute and a court order regarding the status quo ante bellum.

He described the allegation as an attempt to discredit him and weaken public confidence in the electoral commission.

“Remember the background. That issue came up when the court ruled that ADC had an issue, and the concept of status quo ante bellum. I don’t want to go back into it. But at the same time, it came about that time,” he said.

The INEC chairman also addressed previous claims that he had served on President Tinubu’s legal team and misrepresented his educational qualifications. He said investigations by security agencies had found the allegations to be false.

“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. So there were also investigations from DSS, from the police. And those things were not true,” he said.

Amupitan expressed confidence in INEC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, promising that the commission would deliver an exercise Nigerians could be proud of.

The controversy followed claims that an X account bearing the handle @joashamupitan belonged to the electoral chief and had posted messages supporting the APC during the 2023 election.

One post attributed to the account reportedly responded to a message by former APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, celebrating the party’s victory in a predominantly Igbo community in Lagos. The disputed account allegedly replied, “Victory is sure.”

The allegation raised concerns about Amupitan’s political neutrality and his ability to lead the body responsible for conducting Nigeria’s elections.

INEC had previously described the claims as fabricated and intended to damage the chairman’s reputation and the commission’s credibility.

In a statement issued on April 10, 2026, Amupitan’s Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser, Adedayo Oketola, alleged that fraudulent social media accounts had been created in the chairman’s name to mislead and defraud members of the public. 

The commission also said it was working with security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to identify those responsible.

INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, had also said the commission had not obtained verified forensic evidence linking Amupitan to the account and was considering an independent forensic examination.