By Akinwale Kasali
Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, all of Nigerian descent, have emerged victorious in the November 3 Midterm Elections in the United States of America, USA.
They all secured elective positions across Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, while the outcome of another Nigerian-American Candidate, Segun Adeyina, remain undecided in Georgia.
The successful candidates are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem, who won various positions in local government and state legislatures.
In Maryland, Jawando, the Democratic candidate, won the race for Montgomery County executive, defeating his Republican challenger, Esther Wells.
Results published by NBC Washington on Wednesday showed that Jawando secured 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent, against Wells’ 66,383 votes, or 21.85 per cent, with 72 per cent of expected votes counted at the time of reporting.
Jawando, a former member of the Montgomery County Council, is the Son of a Nigerian Father and an American mother.
His Nigerian roots and political career have previously attracted attention from American media organisations, including The Baltimore Banner and The Washington Post.
In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu secured victory in the race for the State House of Representatives, representing District 101.
Ezeonu defeated incumbent Chris Turner in the Democratic primary and emerged as the sole candidate in the November general election after no Republican candidate entered the contest.
According to his campaign biography, Ezeonu was born in Onitsha, Anambra State, before relocating to Texas with his family at the age of two.
He was first elected to the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021 and subsequently became the youngest mayor pro tempore in the city’s history.
In Washington, DC, Oye Owolewa, also a Democratic candidate, won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council.
The local publication, The 51st, reported that Owolewa secured 69 per cent of the votes, defeating independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who polled 21 per cent.
The council position provides Owolewa with a platform to advocate for Washington, DC, statehood, although it does not grant the holder voting rights in the United States Congress.
Meanwhile, Carol Kazeem retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 159, following her re-election victory.
However, the electoral contest involving another Nigerian-American candidate, Segun Adeyina, in Georgia remained undecided as of Wednesday, with election officials still counting ballots.
The victories represent another milestone for Nigerians in the diaspora, highlighting their growing participation and influence in American electoral politics.
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