Two Nigerian-Americans who contested various positions during Tuesday’s general elections in the US have won their respective elections. Reports prior to the election indicate that nine Nigerian-Americans contested for different positions in the election.
31 year-old Oye Owolewa, whose father is from Kwara and mother from Oyo state won a (non-voting) seat in the US House of Representatives, representing Washington, DC (District of Columbia.
Similarly, Esther Agbaje, won her election into the Minnesota House of Representatives (equivalent of a state House of Assembly in Nigeria). She secured a total of 17,396 votes in the election, which represents 74.7% of the total ballots cast, ensuring the defeat of her closest opponent, Alan Shilepsky, who garnered 4,126 votes, or 17.7% of the total votes cast. Agbaje will represent District 59B in the 134-member House on the platform of the Democratic-Farmer-Labour Party, an affiliate of the Democratic Party.