Meet Nigerian Candidates In The 2016 U.S. General Elections
Americans in Franklin, New Jersey, will vote for
Charles Ejike Onyejiaka, a fellow citizen and a
transplant from Imo State, Nigeria, as the U.S.
general election unfolds.
Mr. Onyejiaka, a democrat, is the incumbent in
a two-way race for Ward 3 Councilman seat in
Franklin. He was one of three men presented to
Franklin Town Council as fill-in candidates for
the unexpired term of Phil Kramer, former Ward
3 Councilman, who became Mayor of Franklin
last January.
Onyejiaka beat Alex Kharazi and Azim Uddin,
also democrats and immigrants, to succeed
Kramer.
He is contesting against Beverly Briggs-Lawson,
a Republican, in the general election.
Mr. Onyejiaka is one of four Americans of
Nigerian descent whose names are on ballots in
grassroots elections at township and county
levels this year. The others are George Chidi,
Rasheed ‘BJ’ Dawodu and April Ademiluyi. All
four are product of currents of civic
engagement by hundreds of immigrants and
first generation Americans who maintain their
ties to Nigeria even as they live relatively
comfortable lives in the United States.
According to PT, the rising crescendo of
political engagement by Nigerian-Americans is,
in some ways, personified by the emergence of
Nigerian-American Public Affairs Committee or
NAPAC-USA, a self-described “political and
social welfare think tank where the intellectual
and numerical assets of Nigerians and Nigerian-
Americans could be harnessed to invigorate our
active participation in American political and
civic life”.
The organization originated from the exertion of
an intense, voluntary, electioneering campaign
by some Nigerian-Americans on behalf of a
Democratic candidate in California’s 36th
District during the 2011 special election.
Spurred by the impact of their collective
energy, the volunteers decided to create a
permanent front which, with an eye on the 2012
general election, was organized as a political
action committee named Nigerian-American
Political Action Committee or NAPAC.
NAPAC and NAPAC-USA are legally registered
entities now, the former as a 501 (c) 3 public
welfare foundation and the latter as a 501 (c) 4
non-partisan membership advocacy group.
NAPAC Foundation exists for the sole purpose
of fostering and carrying “out the vision and
objectives of NAPAC-USA and its state PACs”.
Under American law, a PAC or political action
committee can raise and spend unlimited
amount of money on behalf of a political
candidate or to support an issue.
NAPAC Foundation is yet to accumulate the
billion dollar war chest some super PACs are
famous for, but it did raise $50,000 for the
Obama re-election Campaign because of what
the group describe as “our excitement that
someone with African roots had the historic
opportunity to seek and was actually elected to
the highest office of the land”.
Its campaign contribution in this election circle
has not been disclosed but there is cause to
believe that NAPAC has become the veritable
gathering place for Nigerian-American activists
across the United States, be they aspirants for
political office or community advocates.
Of the four Americans of Nigerian descent
running for office this year, only Onyejiaka
seems to have no contact with the
organization. Chidi and Dawodu attended
NAPAC Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, this past
September where they mingled with
professionals, entrepreneurs and activists from
as many as ten states and from cities as far as
Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and Baltimore.
They had the honor of being the only nominees
for electoral positions this year but not the
distinction of being the only break-out
politicians at the convention.
Also present was Tinuade Pena, a first
generation American who spent part of her
formative years in Lagos. An engineer and
business owner, Ms. Pena is also a U.S. Army
sergeant and long-time resident of Florida’s
Royal Palm Beach. She was a Democratic
candidate for District 86 of the Florida House of
Representatives this year but lost to a fellow
veteran during the primary election in August.
George Chidi is also a veteran and, the son of
George Njoku Chidi, a native of Umuoye in Imo
State. The younger George is running for a seat
on the Board of Commissioners in DeKalb
County, Georgia. His story reads almost like
that of Barack Obama. His dad arrived
Massachusetts in 1970 on a student visa, met
his mum who is a Caucasian of Polish descent.
They got married and, unlike Obama’s dad, the
older George stayed in the United States.
George junior was an active duty soldier in the
25th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army for five
years and, he has been a journalist and civic
leader for twenty years.
Of the four Nigerian-Americans running for
office, he seems to have the deepest
connection to his constituents and the widest
name recognition among Americans and
Nigerian-Americans alike. He defeated eight
other aspirants to become the Democratic
nominee for this general election which he is
strongly favored to win. He is very supportive of
the Nigerian immigrant community, he is a
known face at their social events and an active
promoter of worthy causes, including the
candidacy of Rasheed Bolaji (or ‘BJ’) Dawodu.
Mr. Dawodu, a Democrat, is running against
Republican Kristie King for the position of Tax
Commissioner in Fayette County, Georgia. A
small business owner and seasoned financial
management professional, Dawodu relocated to
the United States from his native Lagos (Isale
Eko) more than 20 years ago. He worked
extensively in the public sector before going
into private practice, his bid for office of the
Tax Commissioner is actively supported by
Fayette Chamber of Commerce and his
immigrant constituency.
April Ademiluyi is the only female American of
Nigerian descent contesting in the general
election and she is contesting for a judicial not
administrative position. She is a candidate for
the Seventh Circuit Court in Prince George’s
County, Maryland. April is a first generation
American with roots in the Ademiluyi royal
family in Ife.
Election into Circuit Courts is non-partisan,
candidates participate in as many party
primaries as they choose but they have to win
at least one primary to get on the ballot. Ms.
Ademiluyi won the Libertarian Party primary.
Prince George’s county is reputed to be home
to some of the richest Nigerians in the United
States, there have been some local fund raising
gatherings to support April’s candidacy. She
also got a boost from NAPAC president, Mr.
Segun Adeyina who came from Georgia to
campaign for her.
Township and county level elections usually do
not attract polling agencies so it is not easy to
track the progress of these candidates. One
thing that can be said for all of them is, if
elected, their constituencies will get top-tier
professionals and more in each of them.
Charles Onyejiaka has a degree in Electronics
Engineering from Thomas Edison State
University, he is also something of a veteran
public servant with experience dating back to
Nigeria’s Second Republic.
Born in Nkwerre, Mr. Onyejiaka grew up in a
family of public servants whose record of civic
engagement reached its zenith during Nigeria’s
Second Republic when Sam Mbakwe was
governor of Imo State. His uncle served as a
commissioner while an aunt worked as special
assistant in the governor’s office. Charles has
followed the footsteps of his Nigerian family in
his new country.
In 2015, he mobilized voter turn-out in numbers
that proved good enough to give Democrats
their first mayoral victory in Franklin Township.
He is prominent member of the local Catholic
community and has served on the Township
Planning Board.
George Chidi has a bachelor degree in
Journalism, MBA from Georgia Tech and was
chief executive officer of a firm that markets
competitive intelligence for corporate clients.
Rasheed Dawodu has degrees in accounting,
law, public finance and is a certified fraud
examiner. He has worked for Fortune 500 firms
including General Electric and Georgia Pacific.
April Ademiluyi has a first degree was in
Chemical Engineering, law degree from an Ivy
League uni and has been recognized by
Congressional leaders for working with families
facing foreclosure.
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