Germany’s First African Councillor: Nigerian Political Scientist John Akude Elected

Germany’s First African Councillor: Nigerian Political Scientist John Akude Elected

Nigerian-born political scientist, Dr. John Emeka Akude has been elected as a member of the Cologne City Council (Stadtrat) in Germany. Dr. John made history as the first councillor of African origin to get elected in Cologne, Germany’s 4th biggest city with about a million residents.

Dr. John Emeka Akude is a political scientist with expertise in International Relations. He has had long years of experience as a university lecturer in Political Science (International Relations, Development Studies, International Political Economy and African Conflicts). He was also a Senior Researcher at the German Development Institute’s Department of Management. Dr. John Akude also served as an ex-adviser to the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Dr. Akude as well as other Africans such as Rahab Njeri, Kevin Uguru, Pastor Lumbu and Elizabeth Kaneza all competed for various positions in various cities across Germany during the election.

Both Dr. Akude and Rahab Njeri ran on the platform of Klima Freunde (Friends of the Climate) in the city of Cologne.

The astute political scientist, Dr. Akude was elected on the 13^th of September 2020 when residents of Cologne, Germany’s most populous state voted for Lord Mayors, Mayors, Councilors, and others.

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Reacting to Akude’s victory, Rahab Njeri, the only other African-origin candidate who took part in the election in Cologne but was not victorious, described every African inhabitant of the German city as winners because of Dr. Akude’s victory.

The results that have been released revealed that several African candidates won elections into the Integration Council (Integrationsrat) in their cities and towns, including Kevin Uguru in Essen, Pastor Lumbu in Dortmund and Elizabeth Kaneza in Aachen.