Editorials

Nigerians Who Won Elections in the U.S General Elections

The last concluded United States of America election was fierce of them all. It was filled with intrigue, suspense, drama, and actions. While many Africans contested for different elections, we have three Nigerians who won their some form of election in particular states.

Nnamdi Chukwuocha

Nnamdi Chukwuocha was born in 1970 as a twin with his brother Al Mills n Wilmington, Delaware. The two are known as the ‘Twin Poets.’ They won several awards for their work and were named the 17th Poets Laureate of the State of Delaware in 2015. Chukwuocha started his political career as the president pro tempore in the Wilmington City Council in 2018. He was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 2018 and got re-elected in 2020.He married a  Nigerian (Igbo) lady,and believes he is Nigerian based on his DNA. He had to changed his name to a Nigerian name

Oye Owolewa

Adeoye “Oye” Owolewa was born in Nigeria in 1982, to a father from Omu Aran in Kwara State and a mother from Ilesa in Osun State. Owolewa is the grandson of Phoebe C. Ajayi-Obe, a senior advocate of Nigeria. He grew up in Boston and attended Boston Latin School, where he graduated in 2008. He earned a doctorate in pharmacy from Northeastern University in 2014, before heading to Washington to practice pharmacy. He is a Nigerian-American politician and a member of the Democratic Party.

Owolewa was born in Nigeria.

Esther Agbaje

Esther Agbaje was born on March 19, 1985. She is a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 59B, which includes parts of north and downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County. She is an associate attorney with Ciresi Conlin LLP, where she practices in general civil litigation and medical malpractice.  Agbaje graduated from George Washington University with a B.A. in political science. She got her M.P.A in the University of Pennsylvania and got a J.D in Harvard University.

Meanwhile, we had Nine Nigerians who contested for different seats, and they include, Mr. Yomi Faparusi, an indigene of Ode-Ekiti in Ekiti state, who vied to represent the State of Tennessee in the United States Senate. He graduated from the University of Ibadan with a doctorate in Medicine, and a Ph.D. in Health from Johns Hopkins University, and a doctorate of law from the Widener University School of Law, Delaware.

Adewunmi Kuforiji, an indigene of Ibadan, Oyo, who graduated from Delaware State University with a Bachelor in Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration, secured the Democratic party’s ticket but lost to a republican.

We also have Esther  Agbanje, a daughter of a librarian and an Episcopal priest, both Nigerian immigrants.  She graduated from Havard University with law degrees, and a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania.

April Ademiluyi, Benjamin Osemenam, and Ngozi Akubuike are contested in their respective parties too.  While these nine contested for seats, we have other Nigerians who got appointments directly and indirectly from President Joe Biden.