Controversy Erupts As INEC Insists Amupitan Has No Link To Viral Account, Warns Grok Can Mislead

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has maintained that there is no credible or sufficient evidence linking a controversial account and its alleged partisan posts to its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.

This was disclosed on Monday by INEC’s Director of Information and Communication Technology, Lawrence Bayode, during an interview with Channels Television.

He said the commission would not depend on forensic findings conducted by external parties to draw conclusions on the issue.

His comments come amid public backlash over alleged posts from the disputed account, which purportedly showed support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.

Bayode stated, “Even though we are seeing that some guys have carried out a forensic investigation on that account, as we speak, there is no verified forensic evidence linking the chairman to the post.”

He added that INEC would not ignore the matter, noting that investigations were ongoing and relevant security agencies had been informed.

“We are taking this further even though we have referred this to security agencies, and as I said, we rely on evidence. We are also going to be engaging a third-party forensic expert to help look at this,” he said.

He further explained that the commission is also conducting internal checks, stressing that conclusions would not be based on screenshots or unverified claims.

“I will not base my judgment on the screenshot; I will not allow that to guide my conclusion. The commission will engage a third-party expert, and that will guide our final decision,” Bayode added.

On concerns around artificial intelligence, Bayode noted that systems like Grok are capable of generating inaccurate outputs, commonly referred to as “hallucinations.”

He also warned that social media accounts can be vulnerable to hacking if not properly secured, though INEC currently uses protective measures such as two-factor authentication.

“Grok honestly can hallucinate just like any modern artificial intelligence system, so it is important to verify critical information before drawing conclusions,” he said.

Bayode further suggested that the situation could be a case of digital impersonation aimed at misleading the public, adding that malicious actors could exploit publicly available information to create confusion.