….. Three Nigerians battle for Peckham council seat
Scores of men and women of Nigerian origin will be on the ballot in local council elections across the United Kingdom on Thursday 7 May, with results expected by Friday.
More than 25,000 candidates are contesting close to 5,000 seats in around 136 councils, alongside six mayoral races and numerous parish council positions across the UK. It is the largest round of local elections under Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government and one of the most competitive in recent memory, offering voters a broad choice at the ballot box.
The Prime Minister faces the prospect of a difficult outing, with some analysts warning Labour could record a historically poor result. Reform UK and the Green Party are widely tipped to make gains, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with both Labour and the Conservatives in recent opinion polls.
Political scientists say the elections could produce unusually fragmented outcomes, with some council seats won on very low vote shares as support for the two main parties continues to weaken.
Across the country, a strong field of Nigerian heritage candidates is standing for office, with several also seeking re election. They are spread across the main parties including Labour, the Conservative Party, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats.
In Dalston, in the London Borough of Hackney, Councillor Grace Adebayo of Labour is seeking another term. The same applies to Councillor Sade Etti, also of Labour, who is standing again in Clissold ward in Hackney.
In Milton Keynes, Victoria Bamisile of Labour is defending her seat in Wolverton. She has served on Wolverton and Greenleys Town Council since 2020 and became a city councillor in 2024.
The elections will determine who oversees key local services such as social care, bin collections and planning. Local authorities play a central role in delivering public services within communities.
Councillors in the UK do not receive a salary but are paid allowances to cover expenses such as travel and childcare, and many combine the role with other employment.
According to TheAfricaMedia, all voters, including eligible Commonwealth citizens such as Nigerians, must present photographic identification at polling stations. In the final weeks of campaigning, candidates have stepped up efforts to reach voters through leafleting, door to door visits and telephone canvassing.
In Peckham, in south east London, three candidates of Nigerian origin are contesting the same ward in Southwark. They are Chinonye Amauche Anumodu of the Conservative Party, Philomena Ifeoma Ofodu of the Liberal Democrats, and Babatunde Olawale Awolesi.
Elsewhere, Nigerian heritage candidates standing in the elections include Ayo Akin in Saltwell, Gateshead for the Conservative Party; Victor Oluwagbemi in Washington East, Sunderland for the Conservatives; and Jennifer Obianuju Orji, also in Washington East, for Labour.
Others are Sunshine Babalola for the Liberal Democrats in Pennywell and South Hylton in Sunderland; Folajimi Ashiru for Reform UK in Cheylesmore, Coventry; and Saheed Babatunde Awoyemi for Labour in Woodlands, Coventry.
Further candidates include Joseph Anyanwu for the Green Party in High Fell, Gateshead; Babatope Aguntasolo for the Liberal Democrats in Wingrove, Newcastle upon Tyne; and Chichi Mgbeokwere for the Labour and Co operative Party in Pendlebury and Clifton, Salford.
Festus Kehinde Akinbusoye is standing for the Conservative Party in Abbey Road, Westminster, while Victoria Ugwoeme represents Labour in Woolston, Southampton. Toriola Isaiah Coker is contesting for Reform UK in Banister and Polygon in Southampton.
In Hackney, Soraya Adejare is standing for the Green Party in Brownswood, while Joseph Ogundemuren represents the Labour and Co operative Party in Hackney Wick. In Manchester, Olusegun Adelaja Ogunbambo is Labour’s candidate in Higher Blackley.
Alongside hundreds of others, the mentioned candidates reflect a growing Nigerian presence in local British politics, as communities across the country prepare to cast their votes.
