The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has moved to prosecute individuals behind a fake social media account falsely linked to its chairman, Joash Amupitan, after a forensic investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The commission said the probe followed weeks of controversy triggered by viral screenshots alleging that Amupitan operated an X account and made a partisan post.
The claims, widely circulated online, were accompanied by purported links to emails, phone numbers and BVN records.
However, findings from an independent cybersecurity investigation commissioned by INEC described the allegations as ‘fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.’
According to the report, Amupitan does not operate any personal X account, and the handle attributed to him was a clear case of impersonation. Investigators relied on platform data analysis, open-source intelligence tools and timestamp verification to reach their conclusion.
A key discovery showed that the alleged reply credited to the chairman was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet it purportedly responded to.
The report also confirmed that the post never existed on the platform or in archived records.
Further findings revealed that the disputed account was renamed and set to private shortly after the screenshots went viral, suggesting an attempt to erase evidence. It said at least seven related fake accounts across multiple platforms were also identified.
INEC has referred the matter to security agencies for investigation under cybercrime laws, urging the public and media to verify information before sharing.