Nine Nigerian-Americans contesting Tuesday’s US elections
No fewer than nine Nigerian-Americans are on the ballot on Tuesday’s general election in the United States.
Running mostly on the platform of the Democratic Party, the candidates are bidding for different offices at the federal, state and local levels.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that besides the presidential election, governorship polls are holding in 11 states and two territories, in addition to other states and local elections.
Congressional elections are also holding on Tuesday with all the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives, and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate are up for grabs.
At the federal level, Mr Oye Owolewa, whose father is from Kwara State and mother is from Oyo, is aiming for a shadow (non-voting) seat in the House of Representatives.
Owolewa, a PhD holder in Pharmacy from the North Eastern University, Boston, is seeking to represent the District of Columbia under the Democratic party.
If elected, the 30 year old would be the first Nigerian congressman in the country’s history.
Also, at the federal level, Mr Yomi Faparusi, an Ibadan born native of Oye Ekiti in Ekiti State, is vying as an independent candidate to represent the state of Tennessee in the US Senate.
In Missouri, a Republican controlled state, Mr Yinka Faleti from Lagos is the Democratic flag bearer in the election for the office of Secretary of State.
Also at the state level, Mr Paul Akinjo from Ondo is running for election to the California state under the Democratic Party to represent District 12.
In Delaware, a small Mid-Atlantic US state, Adewunmi Kuforiji is aspiring to represent District 34 in the State House of Representatives.
Kuforiji, originally from Ibadan, Oyo State, secured the Democratic Party’s ticket on September 15 after defeating his challenger, Robert Haynes at the primary.
Also at the state level, Ms Esther Agbaje, is seeking to represent District 59B in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, an affiliate of the US Democratic Party.
The 35 year old daughter of an Episcopal priest and a librarian, both Nigerian immigrants, defeated long time state representative, Raymond Dehn, in the party’s primary in August.
On the ballot at the local government level are April Ademiluyi, Ngozi Akubuike, and Benjamin Osemenam.
Ademiluyi, 39, is running on Democratic Party’s ticket for Judge of the Seventh Circuit Court in prince George’s County, Maryland.
For her part, Akubuike, a legal practitioner, is an independent candidate for judge of the Minnesota 2nd District Court Position 8.