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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Amupitan x posts: INEC explains move to avoid interference

From The Punch · (just now) English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not publicly name the cybersecurity expert who investigated its chairman due to an ongoing police investigation.
  • INEC stated that the decision is to avoid impeding the National Cybercrime Center's (NCCC) independent review of partisan social media posts allegedly linked to the chairman.
  • The commission reiterated that its internal forensic investigation had exonerated Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, deeming the allegations fabricated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified its decision to withhold the identity of the forensic cybersecurity expert involved in investigating alleged partisan social media posts linked to its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan. This move, the commission explains, is a deliberate measure to ensure the integrity of the ongoing investigation now being handled by the Nigerian Police Force's National Cybercrime Center (NCCC).

The reason why we are not publicly disclosing this expert is because the matter is now going to the National Cybercrime Center under the Nigerian Police Force.

— Lawrence BayodeThe INEC Director of ICT explains the rationale behind not revealing the cybersecurity expert's identity.

INEC's Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, emphasized that the commission has subjected its findings to rigorous technical verification. By handing over the matter to the NCCC, a specialized unit responsible for prosecuting cybercrime, INEC aims to facilitate an independent and thorough review. This ensures that the investigation proceeds without external interference, allowing the NCCC to conduct its own comprehensive assessment and report.

The commission stressed that its involvement does not cease with the initial findings. The formal handover to the NCCC signifies a continuation of the scrutiny, rather than an endpoint. INEC maintains that its internal forensic investigation, based on OSINT tools and X platform data analysis, has conclusively exonerated Professor Amupitan, characterizing the allegations as fabricated and technically impossible.

This is a unit that is held with the responsibility of prosecuting any cybercrime matter. And everything that we have done, like I said earlier, is based on OSINT. I’m sure the Nigerian Cybercrime Centre, which is under the police force, will do their own investigation and they will come out with their own report.

— Lawrence BayodeThe INEC Director of ICT elaborates on the role of the NCCC and the commission's reliance on open-source intelligence.

This situation arose from viral screenshots and purported digital records circulating online, which claimed the INEC chairman operated a partisan X account. While these claims gained traction, INEC's subsequent investigation, detailed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, has refuted them as part of a coordinated disinformation campaign. The commission's transparency in explaining its procedural steps underscores its commitment to maintaining public trust amidst such controversies.

No, the matter is not ending there. And that is why INEC is taking it further to NCCC for them to also carry out their own…

— Lawrence BayodeThe INEC Director of ICT clarifies that the investigation is ongoing and has been escalated to the NCCC.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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