INEC Denies Chairman Owns X Account; As Alleged Digital Records Dispute Claim
_Abuja, April 12, 2026_
________________________
The Independent National Electoral Commission on April 10, 2026, denied that its Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, owns or operates any account on X, formerly Twitter.
In a statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the Commission said Prof. Amupitan “does not own or operate any X account.” It described claims to the contrary as “baseless” and attributed such accounts to impersonators.
Prof. Amupitan, University of Jos professor of law was nominated by President Bola Tinubu on October 9, 2025. The Senate confirmed his nomination on October 16, 2025, and he was sworn in as INEC Chairman on October 23, 2025, succeeding Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Reviewed public digital records and archives show an X account with the handle @joashamupitan was created in 2022. The records indicate the account is linked to a Yahoo email address established in 2006, phone numbers registered between 2009 and 2011 under the name Joash Amupitan, a University of Jos email address used for two-factor authentication, and associated WhatsApp and OPay accounts.
An analysis by xAI’s Grok, cited in public posts, stated: “The account’s two-decade digital footprint aligns precisely with Amupitan’s personal details, contradicting the INEC’s official denial.”
INEC’s April 10 statement did not address the specific email addresses, phone numbers, or platform links referenced in the records.
The Commission had not issued further comment as of press time. Prof. Amupitan has not personally addressed the matter. X has not released a statement on ownership of the account.
Editorial Note:
________________
This report presents INEC’s official denial alongside publicly cited digital records and a third-party analysis attributed to Grok. It does not assert authorship of the @joashamupitan account. Verification of social media account ownership requires confirmation from the platform, the named individual, or competent investigative authorities.