The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, and a technology expert, Gbenga Sesan, have offered differing perspectives on the controversy surrounding an X (formerly Twitter) account allegedly linked to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan.
They spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Adebayo noted that while digital content can be manipulated, it is possible to trace ownership through forensic analysis. He said the matter could be resolved either through legal action or a legislative probe.
“It is well known that in the digital space, you could manipulate anything, but there is forensic tracing of identity. It is either someone will go to court to challenge his qualification on grounds of partisanship and present evidence or the National Assembly will conduct an investigation, possibly through its INEC committees,” he said.
The former presidential candidate added that even if the account were proven to have belonged to Amupitan, it would not automatically disqualify him from holding office under the law.
“The requirement is that at the time of appointment, you should not be a member of any political party. It does not mean you could not have been a member in the past or that you did not vote. Someone who voted in 2023 can still become INEC chairman in 2025,” Adebayo stated.
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However, Adebayo stressed that the issue of integrity would be central if the account were confirmed to belong to the INEC chair.
“If it is traced to him and he denies it, then it raises questions about integrity,” he said, adding that if a prima facie case of dishonesty is established, resignation may be necessary.
“In a simple matter like this, if you are already lying to the public and we are to trust you with determining election outcomes, then it becomes a question of integrity,” he added.
On his part, Sesan questioned INEC’s outright denial that the chairman ever operated an X account, urging deeper scrutiny.
“The counter from INEC is that he never had a Twitter account. But when a public institution denies something, you have to ask more questions,” he said.
Sesan pointed to digital archiving tools as evidence that an account bearing Amupitan’s name once existed.
“Anyone can check web archives, such as the Wayback Machine, which stores snapshots of web pages over time. I found records linked to the handle ‘joash amupitan’,” he said.
He also explained that creating a social media account typically requires access to a registered email address or phone number, suggesting that such links could help establish ownership.
“The reality is that you cannot use someone’s email or phone number to open an account without access to verification messages sent to them,” Sesan added.
The tech expert criticised INEC’s response, describing it as counterproductive.
“The denial by INEC falls flat, and it is unfortunate. When institutions rush to dismiss issues, they often generate more public interest,” he said.
