Thirty-year-old Nigerian-American, Oye Owolewa, has become the first Nigerian-American to be elected into the United States Congress.
He was elected into the United States House of Representatives from, the District of Columbia, on the platform of the Democratic Party.
Owolewa got 164,026 or 81.59% of the votes cast, according to election results on the website of the District of Columbia Board of Elections on Wednesday, followed by Joyce Robinson-Paul, who got 18,600 votes, and Sohaer Syed with 15,372 votes.
Owolewa, who holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the Northeastern University, Boston, is one of the nine Nigerian-Americans who contested in the American election on Tuesday.
His father is from Kwara State while his mother is from Oyo,
“In 2018, he was elected commissioner of his neighbourhood in SouthEast DC. Lastly, Oye has been an advocate for DC statehood, leading to his run to be your next representative,” his campaign board said.
“He launched TaxFreeDC as a movement to combat DC’s taxation without representation. TaxFreeDC declares that until DC statehood is achieved, DC’s tax revenue shall no longer go to the federal government. Oye believes our money belongs here for DC priorities instead of going to a government that fails to recognise us.”
Reacting to the election result in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Owolewa wrote, “Good morning. Looks like we did it!
“I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents.
“Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian-American congressman.
“In this role, I’m going to fight for DC statehood and bring our values to the lawmaking process. While today is the day for some celebration, the hard work also follows.
“Again, thanks so much for everything. I wouldn’t be here without yall.”
Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, congratulated Owolewa in a statement on Wednesday.
“This goes to show that with dedication, hard work, resilience and prayer, one can achieve just about anything,” Dabiri-Erewa said.
Another Nigerian Esther Agbaje, was elected into the Minnesota House of Representatives. S
Agbaje got 17,396 votes or 74.7% of the total ballots cast, while her closets rival, Alan Shilepsky received 4,126 votes or 17.7% of the total votes cast.
She will represent District 59B in the 134-member House on the platform of the Democratic-Farmer-Labour Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party.
