Four Nigerian-Americans win legislative, executive seats in US midterm elections

Four Nigerian-Americans have won elective positions in the United States midterm elections held on November 3, securing victories across Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.

The winners, who contested on the platform of the Democratic Party, are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, according to results released on Wednesday.

In Maryland, Jawando won the race for Montgomery County executive, defeating Republican candidate Esther Wells with 237,383 votes, representing 78 per cent of the ballots counted.

In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu secured a seat in the State House of Representatives for District 101.

Ezeonu, who was born in Onitsha, Anambra State, had earlier defeated incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic Party primary to emerge as the party’s candidate for the election.

In Washington, DC, Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council, polling 69 per cent of the votes to defeat independent candidate Elissa Silverman.

Meanwhile, Carol Kazeem retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for District 159, defeating Republican challenger Michael Bannon.

Another Nigerian-American candidate, Segun Adeyina, was also leading in the race for Georgia House District 110 as of Wednesday, although the outcome remained uncertain.

The victories underscore the growing political participation and representation of Nigerians in the United States, particularly in state and local government institutions.

The election results are, however, subject to final certification by the relevant electoral authorities