Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday defended the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan, over allegations of partisanship linked to a controversial social media post.
Akpabio, who spoke during the inauguration of the corporate headquarters of the National Revenue Service in Abuja, dismissed claims that a resurfaced tweet suggested political bias on the part of the INEC chairman.
He maintained that the statement attributed to Amupitan was neutral and had been taken out of context.
“They brought out a tweet claiming the INEC chairman said victory is sure, but he did not say victory is sure for any particular party,” Akpabio said.
According to him, the alleged post neither referenced the All Progressives Congress nor the Peoples Democratic Party, stressing that its interpretation had been politicised.
The Senate President further noted that the statement was made before Amupitan assumed office as INEC chairman, arguing that individuals are entitled to personal opinions prior to holding public office.
He added that the authenticity of the post had also been disputed.
“Whether manipulated or not, the statement did not indicate support for any party. At the time, he was not in office. Anyone can hold personal views before assuming national responsibility,” he said.
Akpabio, however, emphasised that public officials must remain impartial once entrusted with leadership roles, noting that neutrality is essential in managing national institutions.
The controversy followed the circulation of a 2023 social media post originally shared by APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, which critics linked to an account allegedly associated with the INEC chairman.
The post, which celebrated electoral success at polling units, was later accompanied by claims that a response reading “Victory is sure” came from an account bearing Amupitan’s name, sparking accusations of bias.
INEC has consistently dismissed the allegation, describing it as false and part of a misinformation campaign aimed at undermining the commission’s credibility.
The commission also clarified that its chairman does not operate a personal X (formerly Twitter) account and has not engaged in partisan commentary.
Speaking further on the matter, INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission would rely on forensic verification rather than screenshots or artificial intelligence tools in investigating the alleged impersonation.
He added that security agencies and independent experts were collaborating with the commission to determine the authenticity of the accounts involved and to preserve public trust in the electoral process.
