Diaspora Nigerians and the youth wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday joined in the call for the resignation of the INEC Chairman following the circulation of alleged pro-Tinubu tweets linked to him, staging a protest in the commission’s Lagos office and the United Kingdom Parliament, respectively.
This is also as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that although the X account was created in September 2022, there’s no linkage between it and Prof. Amupitan’s yahoo or Unijos emails, with the civil society and election observers warning that the controversy could erode public confidence in the commission ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Prof Amupitan’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, dismissed the allegation as “entirely baseless” and a “fabrication.”
Oketola, in a statement on Monday, said a comprehensive forensic investigation found no evidence linking Amupitan to any X account, stressing that “all the alleged posts, replies, or statements attributed to him on X are fraudulent, forensically unverifiable, technically impossible, and part of a coordinated disinformation.”
The statement said an independent forensic cybersecurity expert engaged to conduct a multi-layered investigation using platform data, internet archives, open-source intelligence tools, and identity forensics, found no connection between the account and Amupitan.
According to the report, one of the most critical discoveries was a timestamp inconsistency showing that the alleged reply was posted 13 minutes before the original tweet it purportedly responded to.
“No platform can receive a reply before the original post is published. This is physically impossible and the greatest proof that the post and the account were doctored using Artificial Intelligence (AI),” the statement said.
INEC also said checks on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine revealed no record of the account’s existence or activity prior to April 10, 2026. It further disclosed that the account in question was renamed to @sundayvibe00 on the same day the screenshots went viral, set to private, and labelled as a parody account.
The commission described the move as a “damage-control tactic by an impersonator seeking to eliminate a digital trail,” adding that the parody label amounted to an implicit admission that the account was not genuine.
On claims linking the account to Amupitan’s email and phone number, INEC said forensic tests using official recovery channels on the X platform showed no connection. It stated, “The X platform would have confirmed linkage had any genuine association existed. Therefore, there is no linkage between the email account and the X account.”
The commission also dismissed attempts to use bank verification and data breach records as proof, describing such conclusions as “a logical fallacy, not forensic proof.” It added that historical data breaches cited by those promoting the claim did not identify any specific X handle or establish ownership of the disputed account.
Beyond the X platform, INEC said it uncovered a broader impersonation pattern involving multiple fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using Prof. Amupitan’s identity, suggesting “a sustained and coordinated impersonation operation.”
The commission concluded that “the forensic evidence is comprehensive, multi-sourced, and unambiguous,” adding that one of the independent investigators described the case as “a coordinated digital impersonation and disinformation campaign.”
It urged the public and media organisations to verify social media content before sharing or publishing, warning that advances in artificial intelligence have made it easier to fabricate convincing digital materials.
The commission said the forensic report had been forwarded to law enforcement agencies for further action, calling for those behind the alleged impersonation to be identified and prosecuted under relevant cybercrime laws.
Protests continue
A civil society organisation, Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) led by Prof. Pat Utomi, Usman Bugaje, Femi Falana (SAN), Oby Ezekwesili among others, also called on Prof. Amupitan to step aside over what it described as a “crisis of credibility” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement on Monday signed by its Media Coordinator, Comrade James Ezema, the MCE said the current controversy surrounding alleged digital footprints linking the INEC chairman to partisan expressions had raised serious concerns about public trust in the electoral body.
“At this crucial period in Nigeria’s democratic evolution, it is evident that the hands presiding over INEC are, at best, under grave distrust and, at worst, compromised to elicit the credibility required for the conduct of the 2027 elections,” the group said.
It demanded that Amupitan “immediately step aside from his position as Chairman of INEC to allow for a truly independent, transparent, and forensic investigation into the allegations,” urging the federal government to constitute an impartial panel comprising judicial, digital forensic and civil society experts.
The group also called for an end to “all forms of intimidation, harassment, or threats against citizens raising legitimate concerns,” adding that INEC must recommit itself to neutrality through reforms that would restore public confidence.
According to the statement, “Nigeria stands at a democratic crossroads. The integrity of its electoral management body cannot be compromised without grave consequences for credible elections, national stability and legitimacy of governance.”
It added that, “Professor Amupitan must recognise that this is no longer a personal matter of denial—it’s a national question of trust. The only honourable path, consistent with both legal prudence and moral responsibility, is to step aside and submit to the cleansing light of transparent investigation.”
The group argued that recent developments had triggered “a legitimacy crisis of fundamental proportions,” noting that in the digital age, “denial is not a defence—it’s an invitation to forensic scrutiny.”
The MCE further warned that the situation could escalate into legal complications, stressing that digital and financial systems such as BVN and NIN provide traceable ownership structures that could be subjected to judicial processes.
It also expressed concern over what it described as a broader pattern of actions by INEC allegedly undermining opposition participation, including “administrative inconsistencies, selective enforcement of electoral regulations, and operational conduct that cumulatively erode the level playing field required in a multi-party democracy.”