Nigerian-born politician Okoye on ballot for senatorial primary in US
A Nigerian, Mr Gabe Okoye, is on the ballot in a forthcoming Democratic Party's senatorial primary runoff election in the U.S.
Okoye, who hails from Enugwu-Aguleri, in Anambra, is seeking the main opposition party's ticket for the Nov. 3 general election into the Georgia State Senate to represent District 9.
Okoye, who is a chieftain of the party in the state, faces a black female challenger, Nikki Merritt, in the second round scheduled for Aug. 11.
They both advanced to the runoff stage after defeating a third aspirant, Cheryle Moses, in the first round of the primary held on June 9.
The winner will face the incumbent, Sen. Peter Martin, a Republican, who has been representing the district since 2015 and is seeking a fourth term.
Okoye is currently a Planning Commissioner in Gwinnett County, the second-most populous local government in Georgia, and is the first black man to serve as a commissioner in the county's 202-year history.
The civil engineer and founder of Georgia-based construction firm, Essex Geoscience, also currently serves on the Executive Committee Board of the Gwinnett and state chapters of the Democratic Party.
Among other goals, Okoye is seeking to capture the District 9 seat from the Republican Party, which has held it for over 30 years, “with nothing to show for it”.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that he was also aspiring to give the black community in Gwinnet County, his base, a strong voice at the state level.
In these regards, the senatorial hopeful carved a niche for himself while serving as the Democratic Party chairman in the local government between 2016 and 2018.
As of the time he emerged the party chairman in 2016, Gwinnett was a Republican stronghold, with only five of the 25 elected officials in the county being Democrats.
However, the tide turned when Okoye led the party into the 2018 mid-term elections and recorded historic wins.
They captured 13 elected offices, including the majority of Gwinnett seats in the Georgia state legislature, from the Republicans, who currently hold only seven positions.
The Democratic Party swept the two county commission seats that were up for election and also took one of the two School Board seats contested for.
Also, the party reclaimed the office of the Solicitor General of the county after decades in the hands of the Republicans.
“Under my leadership of the party, we elected the first black commissioner, first black school board member, and also the first black Solicitor-General of the county in its 200-year history as of 2018.
“The Democratic Party also produced the first black state judge from this county under my watch,” Okoye told NAN.