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#USELECTION2020: See The 3 Nigerian-Americans That Won US Election

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Three Nigerian-Americans, Esther Agbaje, Oye Owolewa and Nnamdi Chukwuocha, have won their electoral bids in the United States election held on Tuesday.

 

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Ms Agbaje, who contested to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Representatives on the platform of the Democratic Party, won with 17,396 votes.

 

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The 35-year-old Harvard law graduate defeated Republican Alan Shilepsky and Green Party candidate Lisa Neal-Delgado to represent downtown and north Minneapolis in the state House.

 

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She is one of the nine Nigerian-Americans on the ballot in Tuesday’s election.

 

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Born to Nigerian parents – an Episcopal priest and a librarian – Ms Agbaje became the first Nigerian-American to be elected to the Minnesota legislature.

 

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With a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, she had a stint in the U.S. State Department, experience working with city government, and accolades at a prestigious law firm, her profile read.

 

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In August, Ms Agbaje was one of four newcomers who defeated established Democratic legislators in the primary – two in the state House and two in the Senate.

 

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She is interested in prison reform, fighting racial discrepancies, housing among others.

 

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She took to Twitter to announce her victory on Wednesday.

 

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“I’m honored to have earned the support and trust of my neighbors to serve as their representative for #MN #HD59B. From North #MPLS to North Loop, Elliot Park to Bryn Mawr, I will work hard everyday to represent this entire district with empathy, compassion and pride.#ThankYou”.

 

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Another Nigerian Democrat, Oye Owolewa, was elected as a shadow member of the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.

 

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He polled 164,026 votes to defeat incumbent Joyce Robinson-Paul, who scored 18,600 votes, and Sohaer Syed with 15,372 votes.

 

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Mr Owolewa, who has roots in Kwara and Oyo states, holds a PhD in Pharmacy from the Northeastern University, Boston.

 

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In 2018, he was elected commissioner of his neighbourhood in SouthEast DC.

 

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As an advocate for DC statehood, he launched TaxFreeDC as a movement to combat DC’s taxation without representation.

 

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According to his website, TaxFreeDC declares that until DC statehood is achieved, DC’s tax revenue shall no longer go to the federal government.

 

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“Oye believes our money belongs here for DC priorities instead of going to a government that fails to recognise us,” it said.

 

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He became the first Nigerian-American to occupy the seat.

 

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As the results trickled on Wednesday morning, Mr Owolewa shared the news of his victory on his social media.

 

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“Good morning. Looks like we did it! I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents.

 

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“Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian-American congressman.

 

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“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.

 

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“Again, thanks so much for everything. I wouldn’t be here without yall,” he said.

 

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Lastly, Nnamdi Chukwuocha won re-election as a member of Delaware House of Representatives from District 1.

 

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As a Democrat without an opponent, he won 100 per cent of the votes with 7,640.

 

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Mr Chukwuocha was elected to represent District 1 in the Delaware House of Representatives in 2018.

 

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With a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in social work from Delaware State University, he has several years of experience in local politics in the state.

 

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He once served on the Wilmington City Council as President Pro Tempore and Chair of the Education, Youth and Families Committee.

 

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In 2019, he was a member of the Corrections Committee, the Education Committee, the Health & Human Development Committee, the Veterans Affairs Committee as a US Army veteran and Vice-Chair of the Transportation/Land Use and Infrastructure Committee

 

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He is part of the spoken word duo “Twin Poets” which was appointed as the State of Delaware 17th Poets Laureate.

Culled from Premium Times.

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