Five Nigerian-born politicians win in US midterm elections

Nigerian-born American politicians have recorded victories in the November 3 US midterm elections, with wins spanning Maryland, Texas, Washington DC, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

According to Gazette NG, Democrat Will Jawando won the race for Montgomery County executive in Maryland, defeating Republican Esther Wells. Results published by NBC Washington showed him with 237,383 votes, or 78.15 per cent, against Wells’s 66,383, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of the expected votes counted. Jawando, a former member of the Montgomery County Council, is the son of a Nigerian father and an American mother.

In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu won a seat in the state House of Representatives for District 101. Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, he previously served on the Grand Prairie City Council and became the city’s youngest mayor pro tempore.

In Washington DC, pharmacist Oye Owolewa won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council with 69 per cent of the votes, defeating independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who polled 21 per cent.

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

In Georgia, Gabe Okoye won District 102.