ABUJA, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria – Godswill Akpabio recently addressed electoral commission bias allegations. He serves as the Senate President of Nigeria. Specifically, Akpabio defended Joash Amupitan on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Consequently, Akpabio spoke in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. He attended the National Revenue Service headquarters inauguration. Meanwhile, opponents accused Amupitan of political favoritism online.
Amupitan is the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC]. Furthermore, critics linked him to a controversial social media post. Okay News reports that Akpabio dismissed these viral claims.
Additionally, Akpabio stated the alleged tweet was completely neutral. He insisted it showed no alignment with any political party. Therefore, he firmly rejected the biased partisan narrative.
Akpabio provided exact words to explain the situation clearly. “Then they changed and said, okay, let us attack the people going to do the election.” “And they brought out a tweet where they said, the chairman of INEC said victory is sure.”
Furthermore, he continued explaining the neutral nature of the statement. “But he didn’t say victory is sure for APC.” “He did not say victory is sure for PDP.”
Finally, the Senate President emphasized the final phrase. “He just said victory is sure,” he concluded. Ultimately, Akpabio argued the context was deliberately misrepresented.
Moreover, Akpabio noted the post predated Amupitan’s official appointment. “And the man said that it’s manipulated.” “Nobody wants to hear,” the Senate President added.
“But for me, whether it is manipulated or not, he said victory is sure.” “He was not chairman of INEC.” “He was just a mere lecturer,” he emphasized.
Consequently, Akpabio defended the rights of private citizens. “Anybody can support anybody who he wishes to,” he stated. However, he stressed that public officials must remain impartial.
Addressing Electoral Commission Bias Claims
He stated public servants must serve the nation fairly. “But when you are on a seat, you have to think of the entire country and all the populace.” “And that’s what they are doing,” he added.
The controversy originally started from a 2023 online post. Dayo Israel originally shared this specific message online. He is the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress [APC].
Israel wrote the following exact words about local voting units. “Today I rejoice, not just for delivering my polling unit, but for winning 7 of the 10 polling units in my nearby Igbo-dominated community where APC have never won.” “I sat with the youth of the community and forged a partnership,” he added.
Subsequently, critics claimed an account replied to this post. They alleged the responding account belonged to Amupitan. The reply simply stated the phrase “Victory is sure.”
Therefore, this brief reply sparked massive public outrage. Opponents used it to fuel political favoritism accusations. Meanwhile, the electoral body consistently denies these viral claims.
Investigating The Partisan Allegations
Furthermore, the commission labeled the allegations as entirely false. They described the situation as a coordinated misinformation campaign. Indeed, they stated Amupitan lacks a personal social media account.
Lawrence Bayode recently addressed the ongoing internal investigation. He serves as the Information and Communication Technology [ICT] Director. He works for the electoral commission.
Consequently, Bayode clarified the official investigative methods. He stated they will not rely on artificial intelligence. Additionally, they will completely avoid using basic internet screenshots.
Instead, the commission partnered with official national security agencies. They also hired external forensic experts for data verification. Ultimately, this ensures public trust in the democratic electoral process.
