INEC chairman: Foundation demands forensic report on X account

The Foundation for Digital Justice has demanded the release of a forensic investigation report from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) concerning an X (formerly Twitter) account allegedly linked to the Commission’s chairman. 

This was contained in a letter obtained by Third Lens, signed by the foundation’s Legal Manager, Moses Alabi, dated April 21, 2026, and addressed to the INEC Chairman. 

The organisation invoked the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2011 to demand transparency around the probe into the account allegedly associated with the INEC boss, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN. 

The non-profit organisation, under the FOI request, sought multiple disclosures, including “a certified true copy of the full report of the forensic investigation conducted in relation to the allegedly fabricated X (Twitter) account of Prof Joash Ampuitan, SAN @joashamupitan.” 

The development comes amid recent controversy surrounding the X account, which had posted several contents in the alleged capacity of the INEC boss. 

However, the INEC chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, had distanced Amupitan from the account, noting that investigations cleared the INEC boss. 

INEC said on Monday that a comprehensive independent forensic and cybersecurity investigation revealed that the claims linked to its boss were “fabricated, technically impossible and part of a coordinated disinformation campaign.” 

The report, which relied on X platform data analysis, OSINT tools, internet archive records and timestamp verification, concluded that Prof. Amupitan “does not operate any personal X account.” 

The foundation however requested details about the cybersecurity expert or firm involved in the investigation, asking for “the full name and professional profile/Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the independent forensic cybersecurity expert or firm engaged by the Commission to conduct the alleged forensic investigation.” 

Further, the foundation demanded transparency in contractual and financial dealings tied to the probe. This includes “a certified true copy of the Letter of Engagement or Service Level Agreement or any other legal documents executed between the Commission and the forensic expert or firm,” as well as “the total amount paid by the Commission to the expert or firm for the services rendered, including a breakdown of such payments.” 

The request extends to procurement and administrative records, with the group asking for “any other necessary documents, including but not limited to, the procurement records and metrics used in selecting the expert and the internal certificates of completion for the task.” 

Citing the legal timeline under the FOI Act, the Foundation emphasised urgency, stating, “We are confident that these requests will be treated urgently in line with the seven-day rule stipulated under Section 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.” 

It also issued a warning of possible legal action if the request is not honoured within the statutory period. 

Some online users had alleged that the account also expressed political bias, unexpected of an official of the electoral empire. 

INEC chairman’s CPS, in an April 10 statement, had described the development as a “malicious and coordinated campaign of calumny circulating on social media.” 

“The false claim alleges that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has, in the past, endorsed a partisan post on the platform X (formerly Twitter). 

“The Commission wishes to state categorically that this allegation is entirely baseless, a total fabrication, and a figment of the imagination of its purveyors. For the avoidance of doubt, the INEC Chairman does not own or operate any personal account on X,” Oketola stated. 

He said the commission was working in close collaboration with relevant security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to track and identify the individuals or groups behind the “identity theft and misinformation.”