Nigerians had yet again proven their mettle on the global stage as Chinyelu Onwurah and Florence Eshalomi of the Labour party, as well as Kemi Badenoch of the Conservatives won their respective seats as members of the UK Parliament.
Onwurah’s seat was the first that was declared for Labour party in the UK’s snap election held on Thursday.
The Independent reported that the Nigerian took Newcastle Central with whopping votes of 21,568 to beat her Conservative opponent’s 9,290.
Following her success, another Labour’s candidate, Bridget Phillipson, won seat in Houghton and Sunderland South.
Thank you to everyone in #NewcastleCentral for re-electing me as your Member of Parliament. Representing you is the best job in the world and it will be a privilege to continue stand up for you in Parliament. THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/6m9JJrbID5
— chi onwurah (@ChiOnwurah) December 13, 2019
It should be noted that Chinyelu was born on April 12, 1965. Her mother is from Newcastle who met her Nigerian father when he was a dentist and studied at the Newcastle University Medical School.
Also, another Nigerian, Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative party won her seat back as MP representing Saffron Walden.
She won the election by a landslide with a whopping number of 39,714 votes to defeat her opponent Liberal Democrat Hibbs who scored 12,120.
Others who contested for the seat are Labour’s Tom van de Bilt and the Green Party’s Coby Wing who scored 8,305 and 2,947 votes respectively.
I’m grateful to the nearly 40,000 people who put their trust in me yesterday. Being your MP is a privilege. I’m proud not just to have won your vote, but to have increased the majority to 27,500! However you voted, I‘ll be working hard for you over the next 5 years! pic.twitter.com/VHMHI1NBDj
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) December 13, 2019
It should be noted that she was first elected in June this year where she became the first woman to represent the constituency.
In a good triumphal moment, the results that brought her in were declared as she walked in with her husband, Hamish, and their 12-week-old daughter, Ara.
She appreciated all her supporters, saying that she could not have done it without them, and promised to them well.
“I would like to thank each of the candidates, my family – my husband and daughter, who are here, and my two cheeky and cheerful children who have helped me get through a very cold and wintry election. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Badenoch said.
Also, Labour’s Florence Eshalomi of Nigerian descent was successfully elected as the new MP for Vauxhall.
Eshalomi, an Urhobo from Delta state took the seat with 31,615 votes, giving her a healthy majority of nearly 20,000.
Vauxhall had previously been held by Labour’s long-standing Kate Hoey, who was noted for her markedly pro-Brexit stance.
Prior to her winning the seat, she was a member of Lambeth and Southwark Assembly.
Eshalomi is the lead spokesperson for the London Assembly Labour Group on Transport issues, and current Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee.
