Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended an X (formerly Twitter) post linked to a handle connected to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, saying it was made when the INEC chairman was still a university lecturer.
The controversial post was unearthed by netizens seeking to justify allegations of partisanship against the INEC chairman ahead of the 2027 general election.
One of the posts was a reaction to a comment by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Youth Leader, who had claimed he ensured his party won in his Igbo-dominated area. The post simply read: “Victory is sure.”
The issue has sparked claims of partisan alignment by the INEC chairman ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
INEC has denied that Amupitan owns or ever owned the X account or made the post. However, some IT experts insist it is almost impossible not to attribute the post to him, claiming the X handle was created using his phone number and email address.
Speaking on Tuesday at the inauguration of the corporate headquarters of the National Revenue Service in Abuja, Akpabio dismissed the allegations, insisting that the “Victory is sure” post had been misrepresented and taken out of context.
“They brought out a tweet where they said the chairman of INEC said victory is sure. But he didn’t say victory is sure for APC. He did not say victory is sure for PDP. He just said victory is sure,” Akpabio said.
He clarified that the statement predated Amupitan’s appointment as INEC chairman, noting that at the time he was still a university lecturer and a private citizen not bound by the restrictions of public office.
“And the man said that it’s manipulated. Nobody wants to hear. But for me, whether it is manipulated or not, he said ‘victory is sure’,” he added.
Akpabio also emphasised the distinction between private conduct before assuming public office and the neutrality required of officials in sensitive national roles.
“He was not chairman of INEC. He was just a mere lecturer. Anybody can support anybody he wishes to,” he said.
However, the Senate President cautioned that public office holders must maintain strict impartiality and ensure their actions reflect national, rather than partisan, interests.
“But when you are on a seat, you have to think of the entire country and all the populace. And that’s what they are doing,” he stated