Control of US Congress still hangs in the balance a day after midterm; eight Nigerian-Americans win in midterm polls

Control of both chambers of US Congress still hangs in the balance a day after the midterm elections as vote counting continues.

Voters cast their ballots on Tuesday to decide 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.

Republicans have been surprised to see the Democrats hold on to some seats in the Senate and even flip one, in Pennsylvania. ABC News puts the parties even, with 48 seats apiece.

Of the remaining four Senate contests, three remain neck-and-neck. It will be weeks before the results of the tight race in Georgia are known as it’s headed for a December 6 runoff.

The Republicans still see a number of paths to power in the House of Representatives. According to ABC News, they have secured 215 seats, just three short of a majority.

Media outlets say the Republicans failed to attract the swell of support they had predicted. They also say it will take time for all election results to be known, citing a number of closely contested races and an increase in mail-in ballots.

The Nigerian American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC) has released a list of Nigerian American victors at the just recent midterm polls, and their offices.

Gabe Okoye won Georgia State Representative, District 102; Segun Adeyina won Georgia State Representative, District 110.

Tish Naghise won Georgia State Representative, District 68; Phil Olaleye is Georgia State Representative in District 59.

Carol Kazeem is Pennsylvania State Representative, District 159; Oye Owolewa, U.S. House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington D.C.

Other victors are Solomon Adesanya, now Georgia State Representative in District 43; Esther Agbaje was reelected as Minnesota State Representative in District 59B.

The Federal Government has congratulated the politicians on their successes

Amb. Lot Egopija, Nigeria’s Consul-General in New York, said the triumph showed the doggedness of Nigerians to survive everywhere.