FACT CHECK: Did INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, knelt on one knee to welcome President Bola Tinubu at Lagos airport?

A photograph of a man kneeling slightly while shaking President Bola Tinubu’s hand at Lagos airport sparked claims on social media that the person was Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The claim emerged after Tinubu returned to Nigeria on September 29, 2026, following a four-week working vacation in Europe.

One X user, trigottista, shared the photograph with the caption, “No be INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan be this? INEC Chairman went to welcome Tinubu???”

Another user, @ugbajaogonna, posted a video of the arrival alongside the message, “Wait oh INEC Chairman went to airport to welcome Tinubu i love this my country.”

A third user, @AginaFranky, identified the man as the INEC chairman while questioning the commission’s independence, writing, “Chairman independent national electoral commission Professor Amupita INEC can’t be independent if appointed by president”.

The claims spread across several social media platforms, with the original post by trigottista recording more than 35,000 views, 1,600 likes, 170 comments and 700 reposts as of September 30.

What happened at the airport?

Tinubu arrived in Lagos from Paris, France, aboard a Nigerian Air Force One aircraft after his European trip.

The aircraft arrived at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 6:22pm, where several senior government officials had gathered to receive him.

Among those present were the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the chief of staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila; the speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; the governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; and security chiefs.

The photograph circulating online appeared to show a man bowing as he reached out to shake hands with the president, prompting users to identify him as Amupitan.

Tracing the image

The photograph carried the watermark of the Nigerian Television Authority, which provided a starting point for tracing the scene.

A review of videos published on the NTA’s X account showed footage of Tinubu walking towards the line of dignitaries after disembarking from the aircraft.

In the footage, the president moved along the queue, shaking hands with those waiting to receive him.

The fifth person in the line was Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, the special adviser to the president on political affairs, who was wearing a brown outfit and an orange cap.

When Tinubu reached Masari, the president recognised him and asked, “Ibrahim, you are here too?”

The president then extended his hand to Masari, establishing that the man shown in the viral photograph was not the INEC chairman.

The verdict

The claim that Amupitan was among the dignitaries who received Tinubu at the Lagos airport is false.

The man in the photograph was Masari, a political ally of the president and his special adviser on political affairs.

The verification therefore shows that the viral image was taken from a genuine arrival scene but was accompanied by an incorrect identification of the person pictured with Tinubu.

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