BY: Oluwatoyin Hawal Momolosho
Claim:
A viral post on X claims that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, was among the officials who welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the airport after his return to Nigeria.
Verdict:
FALSE.
A viral post circulating on X has falsely identified Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs, as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
Full Text:
On September 30, 2026, X user @arinzecajet001 shared a video showing President Tinubu greeting officials after arriving at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
The post claimed that the man wearing traditional attire and a cap in the footage was INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan and questioned whether he could remain independent as head of the electoral commission.
Verification:
To verify the claim, the video was examined alongside official records identifying both Amupitan and Masari.
The video itself provides an important clue. As President Tinubu greets the official, he addresses him as “Ibrahim.” Nigerian Democratic Report independently reviewed the footage and identified the man as Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, rather than Amupitan.
FactCheckHub also reviewed the audio and visual evidence and concluded that the person receiving Tinubu was Masari, the President’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs.
Who is the man in the video?
The State House identifies Ibrahim Kabiru Masari as President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs. This is consistent with the identification made from the video.
Radio Nigeria also independently fact-checked the viral material and concluded that the person shown greeting Tinubu was Ibrahim Masari, not INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan.
Who is Joash Amupitan?
INEC’s official leadership information identifies Amupitan as the commission’s chairman. Therefore, the two men shown in the evidence are different individuals holding different public offices.
The evidence does not show INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan receiving President Tinubu at the airport. Instead, the man shown in the footage is Ibrahim Masari.
The identification is supported by the video’s audio, independent examination of the footage by Nigerian Democratic Report, official information on Masari’s appointment, and independent fact-checking by FactCheckHub and Radio Nigeria.
The post subsequently uses the alleged presence of the INEC chairman to question the commission’s independence. However, because the person in the video is not Amupitan, the video cannot be used as evidence.
Conclusion:
The claim that INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Lagos airport is FALSE. The person shown in the video is Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs, not the INEC chairman.
