Fourteen Nigerian-Americans Win Seats in U.S. Midterm Elections

Fourteen Nigerian-Americans won seats in state legislatures and local government offices across ten U.S. states during the Tuesday midterm elections. The successful candidates secured positions in Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Connecticut, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Notable victories include Will Jawando, who won the Montgomery County executive position in Maryland, and Carol Kazeem, who retained her seat in the Pennsylvania House. Other winners include Oye Owolewa in Washington D.C., Junior Ezeonu and Odus Evbagharha in Texas, and Ukeme Awakessien-Jeter in Ohio. In Georgia, Segun Adeyina, Gabe Okoye, Solomon Adesanya, and Phil Olaleye also won, while Esther Agbaje secured a seat in Minnesota.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, congratulated the winners on social media. She described the results as a "reflection of di diaspora growing role for public leadership."

The local victories occurred alongside a broader shift in national power, as Democratic candidates won majority control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. This result ended legislative control for President Donald Trump, with Democrats securing key wins in previously Republican-dominated states including Iowa, Texas, Ohio, and Kansas.