The Nigerian Senate has raised objections to the nomination of Dr. Ebiakpo Johnson as chairperson of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), citing concerns that she is not an indigene of the state. The issue, debated during a plenary session on Tuesday, has reignited discussions about local representation in Nigeria’s electoral bodies and heightened political tensions in Rivers State.
Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), who chairs the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, questioned the nomination, arguing that RSIEC regulations require the chairperson to be a Rivers indigene. Johnson, a respected academic born in Bayelsa but married to a Rivers native, was nominated by Governor Siminalayi Fubara in May 2025. Nwoye cited Section 3 of the RSIEC Law, which emphasizes indigeneship, and called for the governor to withdraw the nomination. “This appointment risks undermining the commission’s credibility,” he said.
Supporters of the nomination, including Senator John Owan Enoh (Cross River Central), defended Johnson’s qualifications, noting her 20-year residency in Rivers and her expertise in electoral law. “Competence should trump parochialism,” Enoh argued. The Senate referred the matter to its Committee on States and Local Government for review, with a report due in two weeks. Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged calm, warning against politicizing the issue.
The controversy reflects broader tensions between Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now FCT Minister, who controls significant political influence in Rivers. Local groups, such as the Rivers Youth Forum, protested the nomination, demanding an indigene be appointed.