History was made on Tuesday when Nigerian-born political scientist from Abatete, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Dr. John Emeka Akude became the first black man to be democratically elected into the City Council of Cologne, Germany.
The election which took place last Sunday, 13th September 2020 saw millions of voters in towns and cities across North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, exercise their franchise for the positions of Lord Mayors, Mayors, Councilors, and the Integration Councils.
According to the report from African Courier, many candidates of African origin participated in the elections. However, Akude made history by becoming the first Councillor of African origin in Cologne, Germany’s 4th biggest city with about 1 million inhabitants.
Rahab Njeri, the only other African-origin candidate who also contested in the Cologne election but didn’t get elected stated that Akude’s victory nonetheless was a win for all African-descendant inhabitants of the city.
Dr. John Emeka Akude was not the only one with a victory; some other African candidates also emerged victorious in the polls into the Integration Council (Integrationsrat) in their cities and towns after the results were released. They include another Nigerian, Kevin Uguru in Essen, Pastor Lumbu in Dortmund, and Elizabeth Kaneza in Aachen.
InlandTown! 2020
