Four Nigerians win US midterm elections

Four Nigerian-Americans have won different elective positions in the United States following the November 3, 2026 midterm elections.

The outcome of another Nigerian-born candidate, Segun Adeyina, was still being awaited as vote counting continued in Georgia.

The successful candidates are Will Jawando, Junior Ezeonu, Oye Owolewa and Carol Kazeem.

They secured victories in different political contests across Maryland, Texas, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania.

In Maryland, Will Jawando, who contested under the Democratic Party, won the election for Montgomery County executive. He defeated his Republican opponent, Esther Wells, by a wide margin.

Results released by NBC Washington showed that Jawando received 237,383 votes, representing 78.15 per cent of the total votes counted, while Wells secured 66,383 votes, representing 21.85 per cent.

At the time the results were reported, about 72 per cent of the expected votes had been counted.

Jawando previously served on the Montgomery County Council before contesting for the executive position.

He is the son of a Nigerian father and an American mother and has been involved in politics in the United States for several years.

In Texas, 27-year-old Junior Ezeonu also emerged victorious after securing a seat in the State's House of Representatives for District 101.

Ezeonu, a member of the Democratic Party, became the only candidate listed on the ballot for the November general election after defeating incumbent Chris Turner during the party's primary election. No Republican candidate entered the race against him.

Born in Onitsha, Anambra State, Ezeonu moved to Texas with his family when he was two years old. He began his political journey at the local government level and was elected into the Grand Prairie City Council in 2021.

He later became the youngest mayor pro tempore in the city's history, giving him further experience in public service before his election into the Texas legislature.

Oye Owolewa also won an at-large seat on the District of Columbia Council in Washington, DC.

According to results reported by local publication The 51st, Owolewa received 69 per cent of the votes, defeating independent candidate Elissa Silverman, who polled 21 per cent.

Owolewa is a pharmacist and the son of Nigerian immigrants from Kwara and Osun states. Before his latest victory, he served as the elected shadow representative for Washington, DC.

The position allows him to advocate for statehood and greater political representation for the district, although it does not give him voting rights in the United States Congress.

Carol Kazeem retained her position in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives after winning re-election in District 159.

Kazeem contested under the Democratic Party against Republican candidate Michael Bannon. Results published by MultiState Elections listed her as the winner of the contest.

Her latest victory adds to her political record as one of the Nigerian-Americans serving in the Pennsylvania legislature. She was also among eight Nigerian-Americans who secured legislative positions during the 2022 US midterm elections.

However, the election outcome for another Nigerian-born politician, Segun Adeyina, was still uncertain as counting continued in Georgia.

Adeyina, a Democratic Party member seeking another term in the Georgia House of Representatives, contested in District 110 against Republican candidate Charles Lollar.

An early update from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's election tracker showed Adeyina leading with 1,353 votes, while Lollar had 689 votes.

However, only eight per cent of the expected votes had been counted at the time, meaning the result was not yet conclusive.

Adeyina first won election into the Georgia House of Representatives in 2022 and represents parts of Gwinnett County.

Apart from his legislative responsibilities, he serves as the executive director of the Nigerian American Public Advisory Committee, an organisation that works to educate immigrant communities about elections and encourage voter registration.