INEC Denies Copying Presidential Aide’s Statement, Insists On Neutrality

The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed allegations that it copied a recent press statement from a presidential aide, describing the claims as misleading and a distortion of facts.

The controversy followed the commission’s reposting of a statement addressing claims that its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, endorsed a partisan post on X or operated a personal account on the platform.

The original statement, issued on April 10, 2026, by the chairman’s chief press secretary, Adedayo Oketola, had described the allegations as baseless and warned about cybercriminals using fake accounts in the chairman’s name.

However, reports emerged alleging that a similar statement had earlier been posted by Dada Olusegun, a Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on New Media, prompting accusations that INEC copied the content.

Some social media users claimed the wording of both statements was identical and suggested possible coordination between the commission and the Presidency.

Responding to the claims on Sunday, INEC, in a statement on its official X handle, maintained that it did not copy the statement from any individual or external source.

“The publication is fake, misleading, and a misrepresentation of facts. Any circulation of the statement outside the commission’s official channels was done independently and not coordinated by INEC,” the commission stated.

It added that its repost was solely to amplify accurate information already issued, stressing that it remains strictly non-partisan and urging the public to rely on its verified channels for authentic updates.