Amid the ongoing allegation that a certain microblogging platform, X (formerly Twitter), belongs to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, which has sparked a lot of controversy from various quarters,
Weighing in on the matter, the former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has called on the INEC boss to come out and clear his name, news.ng reports.
A few days ago, an old post on X resurfaced, where an account allegedly belonging to the INEC Chairman commented on a political post in which the author congratulated a politician from the All Progressives Congress (APC) for winning an election before his appointment.
This elicited reactions from Nigerians calling for the sack of Amupitan.
In reaction to the allegation, INEC, in a statement via its official X account, denied that its chairman endorsed such a post on the microblogging platform.
According to INEC, “The Commission wishes to state categorically that this allegation is entirely baseless, a total fabrication, and a figment of the imagination of its purveyors. For the avoidance of doubt, the INEC Chairman does not own or operate any personal account on X. He has at no time engaged in partisan commentary, nor has he ever associated himself with any political leaning or activity in his private or public capacity.
“This contrived X post is a desperate attempt to impugn the integrity and neutrality of the Chairman at a critical period when the Commission is focused on significant electoral reforms and preparations for upcoming polls. It is a needless distraction designed to stir public distrust in the electoral umpire.”
Meanwhile, Adebayo, in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, compared the matter with that of the former President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, saying that the latter lied under oath, and that the issue at hand goes far beyond personal conduct, but is an issue of integrity.
He explained, “Bill Clinton was impeached and was disbarred, not because he had a relationship with Monica Lewinsky. The problem that Clinton had was that he lied under oath by saying, I don’t have anything to do with that woman.”
He stressed that Professor Amupitan owes it a duty to admit or deny ownership of the said account.
Furthermore, Adebayo noted that the matter can be addressed, calling on the National Assembly to wade in and investigate it.
“If the account is traced to Professor Amupitan, then it shows that he is not a person of integrity, if he denies it. If he says, yes, it was my Twitter account, but I’m not a member of their party, he will have shown that he is a man of integrity.”
“If he swears an oath in front of the National Assembly and continues to maintain his position, and a forensic examination shows that it’s actually his post, he could be removed, not because he posted, but because he’s lying to the public,” he stated.
On the appointment process of the INEC Chairman, Adebayo noted, “The Constitution says the president is going to be the one to appoint the INEC chairman. Now, he went to the Council of State. He went to the National Assembly.”
With the advancement in technology and in the digital space, the former presidential candidate warned that social media accounts can easily be manipulated.
“As a lawyer by law of evidence, there is a possibility that somebody who is a hacker or who is a parody maker can do that,” he added.
