Fact-Check: Photo of UK APC Chairman Falsely Presented as INEC Chairman at Chatham House
Claim: The INEC Team that Went to Chatham House in London Wore an APC Cap Verdict: False. Full Story A photo circulating on social media claims that the INEC team that visited Chatham House in London...
Claim: The INEC Team that Went to Chatham House in London Wore an APC Cap
Verdict: False.
Full Story
A photo circulating on social media claims that the INEC team that visited Chatham House in London wore an APC-branded cap. The post features a photograph of a man wearing a white cap with what appears to be an APC-related inscription and suggests that the image exposes a political affiliation within Nigeria’s electoral commission.
On the 13th of November 2026, X user @jezebelreborn posted the photo with a caption that reads, “So the INEC team that went to the Chatham House in London wore an APC cap …..🤣🤣🤣🤣”. The post has since attracted over 287,000 views, more than 7000 likes and over about 3800 reshares.
A screenshot of the X post below
The incident comes as Nigeria prepares for its 2027 general elections. INEC’s published timetable schedules the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027. The commission has also announced preparations to strengthen its election technology and address concerns arising from the 2023 elections.
With public confidence in the electoral process still a major issue, the identity and political neutrality of electoral officials are particularly important. However, claims about INEC’s conduct should be assessed using verifiable evidence, not misleading photographs or assumptions about individuals.
On the 12th of November 2026, INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan visited London to participate in a panel discussion at Chatham House, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative. The discussion, titled Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot examined Nigeria’s electoral preparations and the implications of the forthcoming elections for democracy and regional stability.
According to reports from TheCable and Punch, Nigerian protesters confronted Amupitan outside the venue after the engagement. The protesters surrounded the vehicle conveying him and demanded answers over alleged irregularities in the preliminary voters’ register. Their concerns included alleged duplicate registrations, AI-generated photographs and questionable polling units. They also accused INEC of favouring the ruling APC and called for the chairman’s resignation.
On this basis, the viral photograph sparked public discourse and criticism of the commission.
However, NDRFactCheck found this claim inaccurate.
The photograph was subjected to verification, and we discovered that the photograph does not show a staff member of INEC or establish that an INEC official wore the cap. The man pictured is identified as Hon. Tunde Doherty, a figure associated with the APC United Kingdom (APC UK) chapter.
Hon. Tunde Doherty is a Nigerian politician and member of the APC diaspora structure in the United Kingdom. The APC UK chapter has publicly identified him as its chairman. In a May 2025 publication, the chapter described him as the chairman of APC UK and the chair of the APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen. Its March 2026 publication also attributed the chapter’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid to Doherty in his capacity as chairman.
These records establish his association with the ruling party’s UK chapter. They do not establish any connection between him and INEC.
Another photo of Tunde Doherty. (Culled from Tunde Doherty’s Instagram page)
It is worth noting that Doherty’s leadership position has been disputed. In September 2026, the APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen reportedly said a court had nullified the election that produced him as chairman and named David Abraham as acting chairman pending a fresh election. This dispute concerns his position within the party’s diaspora structure; it does not make him an INEC official.
Conclusion
The claim that the man pictured wearing an APC cap was an INEC official is false. He is identified as Hon. Tunde Doherty, a figure associated with the APC UK chapter, and not INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan. The photograph does not show that the electoral commission’s team wore APC-branded clothing.
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