UK election: Labour supports Britons of Nigerian descent
From Agha Ibiam in London, 03.04.2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Labour Party in the United Kingdom has officially introduced two Britons of Nigerian descent who are contesting different positions in the next general election in the country.


Chinyelu Onwurah and Chuka Umunnah have so far been identified as Labour’s new generation of parliamentary candidates.

They were introduced to the public during a media briefing by Labour’s Minister of State for Transport, Sadiq Khan MP, on Monday.

Onwurah will be succeeding Jim Cousins as the member parliament (MP) for Newcastle Upon Tyne, while Umunnah is the candidate for Streatham. Ironically, both contestants have fathers originally from Anambra State and white British mothers.

According to Khan, Labour has 49 candidates from Black and Ethnic Minority (BAME) communities standing for the next general election, including 12 sitting MPs that are standing again.

He said: “The British people get to make a big choice at the coming election about the kind of future we all want for Britain. Labour will create a future that is fair for all. The Tories threaten an age of austerity, a change you can’t afford.”

The Labour Minister believes that the election is likely to be a close one, but the party is banking on the votes that will be cast by black and ethnic minorities which could make the difference. He said Labour has a solid record in delivering to communities on jobs, public services and the promotion of equality.

Onwurah said she is hopeful of clinching the seat.

“We are doing a lot of canvassing at least two or three times a week, though there are some disillusionment with politics generally, but there is still a lot of hope for improvement in public services and in some core Labour policies. The people of Newcastle are very welcoming,” she stated.

Onwurah’s selling points and her hope of winning the election is that she represents the Labour party, which she regards as the hope of the common people.

The engineer turned politician noted that Labour as a party, has a big step forward than other parties and that it is very important in politics. She said if people do not have politicians that speak for them in representative democracy, that is a huge problem.

She said because her early experience was war and poverty, apparently when her family visited Nigeria just before the Nigerian civil war, she feels that Labour policies and values would win outright in the election.

“My childhood experience was of poverty and war and also the positive experience of good schools I had in the UK which was not dependent on how rich you are before you access it. So all I knew was that it was the Labour Party that provided that and that is why I want to support them,” she said.

Onwurah has worked as an electrical engineer for 22 years. She worked in Nigeria between 2002 and 2004 where she helped build mobile network MTN.

She said one of the proudest moments of her life was when she visited her late father in Awka, Anambra State and handed him a mobile phone and said: “In three months Dad, you will make phone calls as a result of the work I am doing in Nigeria.”

She revealed that her father had always been disappointed that she was not a doctor, which he was. But after that visit, the father said to her that she made the right decision.

“So that was a great moment for me. I can make more of a difference with politics too than engineering. But I do expect to make use of my engineering profession because it is still useful in Newcastle as the centre of the next revolution and the whole country needs engineers. I will keep my hand in engineering, but I will also be a politician,” she declared.

Umunnah, running for Streatham, which includes Brixton, Turse Hill, Clapham, Balam, amongst others, revealed that he has been a member of the party for over 10 years, making a difference in local politics.

“I was the vice-chairman for my local party and I have been active in engaging party activities,” he said.

The employment lawyer hopes that by standing for election in his community and winning, he would be able to give back to the people.

“I am optimistic but I don’t presume not to have anybody’s support, but I’m confident that I will be elected,” he said.

Umunnah, whose mother is Irish, was born in the UK. His father, Ben Umunnah, was a prominent politician in Anambra State and used to be the chairman of Enugu Rangers Football Club.