2 Nigerians win election into US state Assembly race and US Congress

A Nigerian, Ms. Esther Agbaje, has been elected into the Minnesota House of Representatives in Tuesday’s U.S. general elections.

She will represent District 59B in the 134-member House on the platform of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the U.S. Democratic Party.

Esther, 35, won by a landslide, polling 17,396 votes or 74.7 percent of the total ballots cast.

Her closest rival, Alan Shilepsky of the Republican Party, secured 4,128 votes, representing 17.7 percent of the total.

Elections to the lower chamber of the state legislature hold every two years, and there are no term limits for the lawmakers.

The daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Agbaje was born in St. Paul, the state capital of Minnesota.

Nigerian born Adeoye Owolewa of Omu-Aran community of Kwara state on Wednesday was declared the winner of the U.S. Congress election for Columbia District.

Owolewa of the Democratic Party garnered 135, 234 votes representing 82.65 per cent of the total vote cast to defeat his closest rival Robinson-Paul Joyce of DCG, who scored 15, 541 votes.

According to NAN, the residents, especially members of Igangu family where Owolewa hails from, embarked on celebration across the metropolis as news of the election victory filtered in.