“Victory Is Sure Was Said Without Mention of Any Party” — Akpabio Defends INEC Chair Over Alleged Partisan Post

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has weighed in on the controversy surrounding an alleged partisan social media post linked to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Joash Amupitan.

Speaking on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Nigeria Revenue Service headquarters in Abuja, Akpabio addressed claims that a 2023 post reading “Victory is sure” suggested political bias. He rejected the interpretation that the message was tied to any political party.

According to him, the phrase was being misrepresented. He said critics had attempted to frame the post as partisan, despite no reference to either the All Progressives Congress or the Peoples Democratic Party.

Akpabio also noted that Amupitan had described the post as manipulated, adding that the message was made before he assumed leadership of the electoral body. He argued that individuals, in their private capacity, retain the right to express political preferences, but stressed that public office holders must act with neutrality once appointed.

“Anybody can support whoever they choose in private life, but once you occupy an office like this, you must consider the entire country,” he said.

The controversy stems from alleged posts attributed to Amupitan in March 2023, which some critics linked to support for the All Progressives Congress. The commission has denied that he operated or controlled any personal account used for partisan commentary.

The electoral body has since referred the matter to security agencies and said it plans to engage independent forensic experts to verify the origin of the posts.