News

INEC Chairman Amupitan Under Fire as Old Tweets Reveal Him Supporting Tinubu, APC

Published

1 week ago

April 11, 2026

Preport

Tinubu To INEC Chairman Amupitan Serve With Integrity And Beyond Reproach .jpg

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, is facing growing criticism following the resurfacing of old social media posts that suggest clear political leanings toward President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The issue was brought to light in a detailed commentary by Nigerian-American professor, Farooq Kperogi.

In his write-up, he pointed to “SEVERAL verifiable past tweets by INEC chairman Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan from his time as a professor at the University of Jos unmistakably reveal partisan sympathies for the APC and, more specifically, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

He added that if Amupitan values the integrity of the institution he leads, “he should own up to them, acknowledge the moral burden they place on his office, and resign.”

Before now, questions about Amupitan’s neutrality had circulated quietly in political circles. However, the matter gained more attention after his alleged involvement in the internal crisis of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Critics say his actions at the time appeared to align with efforts to weaken opposition forces ahead of future elections.

The controversy deepened on Friday when more evidence surfaced. Records showed that in 2023, prior to his appointment as INEC chairman, an X (formerly Twitter) account bearing Amupitan’s name engaged in political conversations that openly supported the APC.

One of such posts dates back to March 18, 2023. On that day, the APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, celebrated flipping his “nearby,” “Igbo-dominated” polling unit in favour of the APC. In response, Amupitan wrote: “Victory is sure.”

The response has drawn strong reactions. People say the statement was not just a casual remark but a clear endorsement of a partisan claim. The reference to an “Igbo-dominated” area has also raised concerns about ethnic undertones in political messaging during that period.

A day earlier, on March 17, 2023, another exchange added to the controversy. A social media user alleged that supporters of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi circulated a misleading image to discredit Lagos lawmaker Desmond Elliot. Reacting to the claim, Amupitan wrote: “They are evil in the 24th [sic] century.”

Another post on April 25, 2023, further fueled the debate. A pro-Tinubu account celebrated the reception the president received at the Abuja airport. Amupitan responded with a single word: “Asiwaju.”

Though brief, the word has significant political meaning. It is widely used by supporters of Tinubu as a symbol of loyalty and admiration. For critics, the use of that term in a public exchange suggests participation in partisan discourse rather than neutral observation.

Following the resurfacing of these posts, the account linked to Amupitan reportedly underwent several changes. Its handle was altered, later rebranded as a “parody” account, and eventually made private. Despite these changes, digital records have continued to link the posts to the original identity.

This sequence of events has raised further questions about transparency. Observers note that the timing of the changes appears to coincide with increased scrutiny, leading to suspicions that efforts were made to limit public access to past activities.

Interestingly, Farooq Kperogi admitted that he had previously defended Amupitan. In an earlier column, he described him as “an accomplished professor of law and a revered Senior Advocate of Nigeria who has no known record of partisan political affiliations.” However, he now says new evidence has changed that assessment.

The core issue, according to analysts, is not whether Amupitan held political views before his appointment. Rather, it is the nature and visibility of those views, and how they affect public confidence in INEC as an impartial body.

Electoral credibility in Nigeria has often been a subject of national concern. Experts warn that even the perception of bias at the top of the electoral commission can weaken trust in the entire process. For many Nigerians, neutrality is not just expected but essential.

So far, Amupitan has not personally addressed the allegations in detail. However, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, issued a statement claiming that the social media account in question is “fake.”

News

Deezer says 44% of songs uploaded to its platform daily are AI-generated

Published

4 minutes ago

April 20, 2026

Preport

Deezer announced on Monday that AI-generated tracks now represent 44% of all new music uploaded to its platform. The company said it’s receiving almost 75,000 AI-generated tracks per day and more than two million per month.

The consumption of AI-generated music on the platform is still very low, at 1-3% of total streams, and 85% of these streams are detected as fraudulent and demonetized by the company.

The latest figure from Deezer highlights a continuous surge in AI-generated music uploads to the platform. Deezer reported receiving around 60,000 AI tracks per day in January, up from 50,000 in November, 30,000 in September, and just 10,000 in January 2025, when it first launched its AI-music detection tool.

Songs tagged as AI-generated on Deezer are automatically removed from algorithmic recommendations and not included in editorial playlists. The company announced today that it will no longer store hi-res versions of AI tracks.

The updated figure comes as an AI-generated track topped the iTunes charts last week in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, and New Zealand.

“AI-generated music is now far from a marginal phenomenon and as daily deliveries keep increasing, we hope the whole music ecosystem will join us in taking action to help safeguard artists’ rights and promote transparency for fans,” said Deezer CEO Alexis Lanternier in a press release. “Thanks to our technology and the proactive measures we put in place more than a year ago, we have shown that it’s possible to reduce AI-related fraud and payment dilution in streaming to a minimum.”

Today’s announcement comes as Deezer conducted a survey last November that found that 97% of participants couldn’t tell the difference between fully AI-generated music and human-made music.

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The survey also found that 52% of respondents said 100% AI-generated songs shouldn’t be included in charts alongside human-made songs in the main charts. Meanwhile, 80% said 100% AI-generated music should be clearly labeled for listeners.

Deezer first started tagging AI tracks at the platform level in June 2025, becoming the first streaming platform to do so. Over the course of 2025, Deezer tagged more than 13.4 million AI tracks on its platform.

In February, French streaming service Qobuz announced plans to tag AI-generated content on its platform. Other major streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music, take different approaches to AI-generated music, often combining the use of filters to identify low-quality AI music with other transparency efforts left up to the distributors.

News

NiMet forecasts rainfall, sunshine nationwide

Published

3 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Preport

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted rainy and sunny weather nationwide from Monday to Wednesday.

‎‎NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday predicted sunny skies over the northern region on Monday morning, with a chance of thunderstorms.

‎‎NiMet anticipated moderate rains over parts of Taraba and Adamawa.

‎According to the agency, isolated thunderstorms with moderate rainfall are possible over parts of Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Adamawa, and Taraba during the afternoon or evening hours.

‎‎For the North-Central region, a cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine is anticipated during the morning hours, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms and moderate rainfall over Niger, Kogi, Kwara, and the FCT.

‎‎There is a risk of thunderstorms with moderate rainfall over parts of the Plateau, Kwara, Kogi, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory later in the day.

‎‎NiMet envisaged a cloudy atmosphere over the southern region during the morning hours, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms and moderate rainfall over parts of Abia, Enugu, Edo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.

‎‎The agency predicted isolated thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rains over parts of Oyo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, Osun, Ekiti, Anambra, Ondo, Ogun, Edo, Imo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Lagos, Cross River and Akwa Ibom later in the day.

‎‎NiMet forecasted sunny skies over the northern region during the morning hours on Tuesday.

‎According to the agency, there is a possibility of thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall over parts of Kaduna, Adamawa and Taraba during the afternoon and evening hours.

‎‎The agency predicted a cloudy atmosphere in the North-Central region, with intervals of sunshine in the morning.‎

There is a risk of thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall over parts of Benue, the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Plateau during the afternoon or evening hours.

‎‎For the southern region, a cloudy atmosphere is anticipated during the morning hours, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms and light rains over parts of Enugu, Imo, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.

‎‎There is a possibility of isolated thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rainfall over parts of Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom States during the afternoon or evening hours.

‎‎NiMet predicted sunny skies over the northern region during the morning hours on Wednesday. ‎‎It anticipated thunderstorms, with or without rain, over parts of Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Adamawa.

‎‎The agency predicted isolated thunderstorms accompanied by moderate rains over parts of Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba and Adamawa later in the day.

NiMet predicted a cloudy atmosphere in the North-Central region, with intervals of sunshine anticipated during the morning hours.

‎‎There is a possibility of isolated thunderstorms with moderate rainfall over parts of Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Benue, and the Federal Capital Territory during the afternoon or evening hours.

‎For the southern region, a cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine is anticipated during the morning hours.

Later in the day, thunderstorms with moderate rains are expected over the entire southern region.

‎‎NiMet urged the public to take adequate precautions and ensure that loose objects are secured to prevent collisions, as strong winds may precede rainfall in areas where thunderstorms are likely.

(NAN)