The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has come under scrutiny following its repost of a press statement shared earlier by Dada Olusegun, a Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on social media.
The statement, which denied allegations that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, supported President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general election, triggered reactions after users on X noted the sequence of its publication.
An X user, @Mrfestusogun, alleged that “Dada Olusegun posted an INEC press statement 23 hours before INEC even posted it,” raising questions about the timing of the release.
Another user, @adeyanjudeji, also reacted, stating that “the president’s SA on media is the one helping the INEC chairman to debunk allegations of partisanship,” suggesting concerns over perceived coordination between both offices.
Similarly, @TheoAbuAgada alleged that the commission’s statement appeared to have been copied verbatim from the presidential aide. “The press statement INEC posted was drafted by the SA on new media to the President. INEC posted the statement the aide shared online yesterday without a single edit,” he said.
Another user, @SadiqMaunde, criticised the development, writing that “a country where an SA to the president releases a statement defending the INEC chairman a few hours before the commission issues the same statement is not a serious country. A huge red flag.”
The controversy comes amid earlier calls by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and some social media users for the resignation of the INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over alleged involvement in supporting President Tinubu during the 2023 elections, allegations which he has denied.
