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The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed as fabricated claims circulating on social media that its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, endorsed a partisan post on X, formerly Twitter, stating that he does not own or operate any personal account on the platform.

In a press statement issued on Thursday by Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the commission described the allegation as baseless and a deliberate attempt to undermine the neutrality of its leadership at a critical period of electoral reforms and preparations for upcoming polls.

“This contrived X post is a desperate attempt to impugn the integrity and neutrality of the Chairman at a critical period when the Commission is focused on significant electoral reforms and preparations for upcoming polls. It is a needless distraction designed to stir public distrust in the electoral umpire,” the statement read.

The commission also warned that cybercriminals had been operating fake social media accounts in Amupitan’s name to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians, adding that several such fraudulent accounts had previously been identified and reported to security agencies. It described the latest fabrication as a continuation of a criminal pattern aimed at exploiting the commission’s profile for illicit gains.

INEC said it was working with relevant security agencies and cyber-intelligence units to track and identify those behind the identity theft and misinformation, and warned that perpetrators would face prosecution under the Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises identity theft and the dissemination of deepfake or forged social media interactions.

The commission urged the public to disregard the falsehood and rely only on information from its verified institutional channels and formal press statements.

LUKMAN ABDULMALIK
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