THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral body, has dismissed claims that its chairman, Joash Amupitan, made a pro-APC post on X (formerly Twitter), stating there is no verified forensic evidence linking him to the account.
INEC’s Director of ICT, Lawrence Bayode, said that although some individuals claim to have conducted forensic checks, none have produced credible proof tying the chairman to the alleged post.
The controversy stems from a post that appeared to show support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.
Bayode emphasized that INEC will not ignore the issue. Instead, it has been referred to security agencies for investigation, and the commission also plans to involve independent forensic experts.
He added that conclusions will not be based on screenshots alone but on verified digital evidence.
Addressing the role of AI, Bayode noted that tools like Grok can sometimes generate inaccurate or misleading information (“hallucinate”), stressing the need to verify sensitive claims before accepting them as facts.
He also explained that social media accounts can be manipulated through hacking, impersonation, or renaming, making it possible for false content to appear under someone else’s identity.
INEC believes the situation may involve digital impersonation and warns that such tactics can easily mislead the public if not properly investigated.
