Nigerian-born Democrat, Oye Owolewa has been elected into the US House of Representatives to represent the District of Colombia.
During elections, voters of the District of Columbia elect a shadow representative who is recognised as equivalent to US representatives by the District of Columbia, but the US government does not recognise the individual as an actual member of the house of representatives.
Owolewa scored a total of 164,026 votes, which represents 82.84% of the total votes cast.
A PhD holder from the Northeastern University, Boston, Owolewa is the first Nigerian-American to be elected to US congress.
Owolewa took to Instagram to express gratitude to his friends, family, and D.C. residents, for their support, restating his commitment to fighting for statehood for the district.
“Good morning. Looks like WE DID IT!!! I want to thank everyone, from family and close friends to DC residents. Because of your contributions and sacrifices, I stand before you as America’s first Nigerian American congressman.
“In this role, I’m going to fight for DC statehood and bring our values to the lawmaking process. While today is day for some celebration, the hard work also follows. Again, thanks so much for everything. I wouldn’t be here without you all,” he wrote.
