INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan Partisanship Allegations

The Chairman of Nigeria's Nigeria===Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, is facing intense pressure and calls for his resignation following allegations of partisan social media posts on X (social network) supporting Bola Tinubu and the Nigeria===All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general election. The Nigeria===African Democratic Congress (ADC) is leading the charge, citing these posts and INEC's handling of the ADC's internal leadership dispute as evidence of Amupitan's lack of neutrality. INEC, through its Chief Press Secretary Adedayo Oketola, has vehemently denied the allegations, stating that Amupitan does not operate a personal X (social network) account and that the posts are fabricated by cybercriminals. INEC has vowed to pursue legal action against those spreading misinformation and has defended its decisions regarding court orders and a planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended Amupitan, stating he was a lecturer at the time of the alleged posts and entitled to personal political views. The controversy raises significant concerns about the independence of Nigeria's electoral umpire and the credibility of future elections.