Oye Owolewa

Adeoye "Oye" Owolewa (born 1989)[1][2] is a Nigerian-American politician, pharmacist, and a member of the Democratic Party. On November 3, 2020, he was elected as the shadow representative of the United States House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.[3] As a shadow congressperson, Owolewa is tasked with lobbying for D.C. statehood; the position is authorized by D.C. voters in 1982, but never approved by Congress.[4] Although mistakenly described in Nigerian media as the first Nigerian-American to be elected to the U.S. Congress, Owolewa is not a member of Congress.[5][6]

Oye Owolewa
Shadow Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from the District of Columbia's
at-large district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byFranklin Garcia
Personal details
Born1989 (age 31–32)
Nigeria
Political partyDemocratic
EducationNortheastern University (BS, PharmD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life and education

Owolewa was born in Nigeria, to a father from Omu Aran in Kwara State and a mother from Ilesa in Osun State.[7][8] He is the grandson of Phoebe C. Ajayi-Obe, a senior advocate of Nigeria.[9] Oye was raised in Boston, where he attended Boston Latin School and graduated in 2008.[10] In 2014, he earned a doctorate in pharmacy from Northeastern University and moved to Washington to practice pharmacy.[9]

Career

In 2014, he started work as a pharmacist.[11] In 2018, he was elected a D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward 8, District 8E.[12]

References
  1. Olowolagba, Fikayo (November 5, 2020). "US Election: Oye Owolewa Made Nigeria Proud". Daily Post. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  2. "Adeoyo Owolewa Twitter". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  3. "General Election 2020 - Election Night Unofficial Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  4. Sheridan, Mary Beth (2008-05-29). "D.C. Seeks to Fund Lobbying Effort for a Voting House Member". The Washington Post. p. B01. Retrieved 2008-12-29.
  5. Lawal, Khadijat Kuburat (November 4, 2020). "Nigerian born Owolewa wins U.S. Rep seat". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  6. Innocent, Odoh. "NIDCOM celebrates first Nigerian to win USA Congressional seat". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  7. Odutola, Abiola (November 4, 2020). "Update: Nigerian-born Democrat, Oye elected as Shadow US Rep, emerges 1st Nigerian congressman in history". Daily Trust. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  8. Innocent, Odoh. "NIDCOM celebrates first Nigerian to win USA Congressional seat". Premium Times. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  9. Politics (September 12, 2020). "OYE OWOLEWA Historic Eye on US Congress". This Day.
  10. "Nine Nigerian-Americans Contesting In United States Election On Tuesday". Sahara Reporters. November 2, 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  11. O'Connell, Michael (3 November 2020). "Candidate Profile: Oye Owolewa For Shadow DC Congressional Seat". Patch. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  12. James, Wright (January 8, 2020). "D.C. ELECTION ROUNDUP: Owolewa Seeks Shadow Rep Position". Washington Informer. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Franklin Garcia		 Shadow Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from the District of Columbia's at-large congressional district
2021–present		 Incumbent
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