By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has denied any prior affiliation with President Bola Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, newly uncovered online evidence appears to contradict his office’s official statement.

On Friday, Amupitan, through his spokesperson Adedayo Oketola, rejected claims that he had been a supporter of the president. Oketola insisted that Amupitan is a neutral appointee, as required by the constitution to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

“He does not own or operate any personal account on X (formerly Twitter),” Oketola said in the statement. “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.”

But open-source intelligence (OSINT) findings suggest otherwise.

The X account @joashamupitan posted “victory is sure” in March 2023 in response to a message from APC chieftain Dayo Israel, who had announced that the party had won seven out of ten polling units in an opposition stronghold predominantly populated by Igbo voters.

Further investigation revealed that the account was created using the email address amu***anj@yahoo.com—the same email found on a curriculum vitae attributed to Amupitan. That CV also listed his former institutional email, amu***anj@unijos.edu.ng, from his time as a professor at the University of Jos.

To verify the Yahoo email address, the platform sent a notification to the linked phone number: 0803***4099. That same number is tied to an Opay customer account under the username “Joash Ojo Amupitan.” Opay accounts typically use a customer’s phone number without the leading zero—in this case, 8035074099.

When reached by the Peoples Gazette on Saturday for comment on the new findings, Oketola said: “We stand by our statement. A statement was issued yesterday and that is our official position on the matter.”

The connection between the X account, the Yahoo email, and a phone number bearing Amupitan’s full name raises questions about the INEC chairman’s denial of any political allegiance to the APC or President Tinubu, who is widely expected to seek re-election in 2027.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise till after the 2027 general election.

In a statement on Friday, Mohammed Haruna, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, said the decision was made at a meeting between the commission and resident electoral commissioners (RECs).

“Following deliberations, the commission resolved to postpone the exercise until after the 2027 General Election,” the statement reads.

Since the Commission’s resolve to embark on the revalidation exercise, reactions have trailed, especially from the opposition coalition camp, the ADC.

It cited an allegation of wanting to sabotage eligible electorates in favour of the ruling party.

The World Bank has urged the Nigerian government to reopen the petrol market to competition by reinstating import licences in an effort to reduce the inflationary pressures caused by the fallout of the Middle East conflict.

In its latest Nigeria Development Update released , the Washington-based lender says the suspension of petrol import licences since January 2026 “has reduced competition, allowing prices to exceed import-parity levels”.

Word Bank further says

“Allowing qualified marketers to resume imports would restore competition, reduce pricing distortions and better align domestic prices with global benchmarks,” it says. “Greater market contestability would also strengthen supply security by reducing reliance on a single refinery and broadening sourcing options, while remaining consistent with domestic refining objectives.”

The World Bank recommends reinstating petrol import licences to dismantle a supply monopoly, aiming to lower domestic fuel costs that currently sit 12% above global benchmarks.

“Allowing qualified marketers to resume imports would restore competition, reduce pricing distortions and better align domestic prices with global benchmarks,” it says. “Greater market contestability would also strengthen supply security by reducing reliance on a single refinery and broadening sourcing options, while remaining consistent with domestic refining objectives.”

The World Bank points out that following the recent surge in global oil prices, the Dangote refinery – the main supplier of refined petrol after the regulator ceased issuing import licences in early 2026 – raised its ex-depot petrol price to about ₦1,275 ($0.92) per litre as of 23 March 2026.

That compares to an estimated import-parity price of around ₦1,122 per litre, implying a cost differential of roughly 12%, according to the report.

On 13 March, The Africa Report reported that the battle for survival among Nigeria’s traditional fuel importers had intensified in the first quarter of 2026 following the non-issuance of petrol import licence .

With the Africa report on the World Bank’s stand on Nigeria’s petroleum market, Nigerians continued to express their mixed feelings, noting that other company owners have staff to pay, they were not given the opportunity to import, Nigeria is a big country and a single company and refinery cannot supply sufficient fuel to the teeming millions of Nigerians. It is the nation’s economy; it cannot be handled by a single individual, and if there is a problem, he cannot handle it alone.

Source:Africa Report