As the world awaits the final results of the U.S. presidential election, two Nigerian-Americans, Esther Agbaje and Oye Owolewa, have been elected into the House of Representatives.
Esther Agbaje, contested to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Reps on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
The 35-year-old scored a total of 17,396 votes, which represents 74.6 per cent of the total votes cast.
She has a law degree from Harvard University, a Master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, and has served in the U.S. Department of State, among others.
Oye Owolewa, on the other hand, contested to represent the District of Colombia, on the platform of the Democratic Party.
He won with 82.65% of votes which represents 135,234 votes.
Owolewa is a Nigerian born Democrat who hails from Omu-Aran Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria.
He is a Ph.D holder in Pharmacy from the Northeastern University, Boston USA.
Himself and Agbaje are the first Nigerians to win the USA congressional seat.
Meanwhile, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Wednesday, congratulated both of them for the feat.
Nigerian-American, Esther Agbaje { @starsobs }wins Minnesota House of Reps ticket in the #USElection2020.
She contested to represent District 59B in the Minnesota House of Reps on the platform of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Congratulations.#proudlyNigerian pic.twitter.com/0saNf1M7bn
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) November 4, 2020
PRESS RELEASE
DABIRI EREWA FELICITATES WITH OYE OWOLEWA, FIRST NIGERIAN TO WIN USA CONGRESSIONAL SEAT
ABUJA, NOV. 04, 2020: Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission ( NIDCOM) has congratulated Mr Oye Owolewa [@AdeoyeOwolewa], the first Nigerian pic.twitter.com/ks3b7IGwMl
— Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) November 4, 2020
Trump VS Biden
Americans are still awaiting results in key battlegrounds in the presidential election.
As it stands, there are seven states still left uncalled, including major prizes such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — meaning both Trump and Biden still have a path to victory.
US media outlets have projected wins for the Republican incumbent in 23 states including big prizes Florida and Texas, as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio — all states he won in 2016.
Biden has captured 20 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital. The former vice president has flipped one state won by Trump in 2016 — Arizona, in the southwest.
Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two — four for Trump and one for Biden. Maine was won by Biden, but so far, he has only three of the four electoral votes on offer, with the last still to be decided.
So far, that gives Biden 238 electoral votes and Trump 213.
The magic number of electoral votes is 270.
The following is a list of the states won by each candidate and the corresponding number of electoral votes, based on the projections of US media including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC/NBC News, ABC, CBS and The New York Times.
In the case of Arizona, AFP used the projection made by the Associated Press.
