2027 Elections: Amupitan Rejects Alleged Pro-Tinubu X Account, Says Security Agencies Probing Claims

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has dismissed claims linking him to an X account allegedly used to promote President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.

The INEC boss said he neither owned nor operated the account, adding that the allegations had been referred to the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.

He also disclosed that an independent investigative report had been secured to establish the facts surrounding the controversy.

Amupitan made the clarification on Thursday while speaking at a dialogue hosted by Chatham House in London in collaboration with the Kimpact Development Initiative.

The discussion, which focused on Nigeria’s political future, was held under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.”

Asked whether an independent investigation had cleared him of operating the controversial account, Amupitan said the matter had already been brought to the attention of the appropriate security authorities.

“We have an independent report and the matter was also reported to the DSS as well as to the IG,” he said.

He explained that he had attempted to reach X to respond to the allegations but could not do so because he did not have an account on the platform.

“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 stated.

The INEC chairman added that some civil society organisations had also shown interest in conducting their own investigations into the matter.

Maintaining that he had no connection with the disputed account, Amupitan identified Yahoo as the email service he regularly accessed.

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

He further questioned the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the allegations, suggesting that they were intended to discredit him and weaken public confidence in INEC.

Amupitan linked the timing of the controversy to a court decision involving the African Democratic Congress (ADC), particularly the interpretation of the status quo ante bellum order.

“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.

He maintained that targeting the head of an institution could be a strategy to undermine the entire organisation.

“The only way that people could bring down an institution was to say, ‘Oh, this person,’” he said.

The electoral umpire’s chairman also addressed other allegations previously levelled against him, including claims that he served on President Tinubu’s legal team and made inaccurate statements about his educational qualifications.

He said the DSS and police investigated the allegations and found them to be untrue.

“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, however, expressed optimism about INEC’s readiness for the 2027 general elections, assuring Nigerians that the commission was committed to conducting an election that would earn public confidence and national pride.