Abuja, NIGERIA – Fresh open-source intelligence (OSINT) has challenged the claims of neutrality made by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, regarding his ties to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okay News gathered that despite a formal denial issued on Friday, April 10, 2026, evidence has surfaced linking Mr. Amupitan’s personal contact details to a partisan X (formerly Twitter) account. The account, @joashamupitan, reportedly posted “victory is sure” in response to an APC victory announcement during the March 2023 elections.
The investigation revealed that the X account was registered using a Yahoo email address that matches the one listed on Mr. Amupitan’s curriculum vitae from his tenure as a professor at the University of Jos. Furthermore, verification checks showed that the recovery phone number for that email is identical to a number registered to an OPay account under the full name “Joash Ojo Amupitan.”
When reached for comment on Saturday, April 11, the Chairman’s spokesperson, Adedayo Oketola, declined to address the specific digital evidence, stating only that the commission stands by its previous denial.
The findings have raised serious questions about the non-partisan requirement for the head of Nigeria’s electoral umpire. According to the constitution, the INEC Chairman must be a person of unquestionable integrity and free from political leanings to ensure a level playing field for all parties ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
