NIGERIAN-American Democratic candidate for the Mayor of New York City (NYC) Eric Adams has assured the Nigerian community of inclusiveness if elected mayor in November election.
Adams, who is the 18th borough president of Brooklyn, joined the Nigerian-American Political Action Committee of the NYC on May 17 and was endorsed by the Nigerian community on June 5 as the city’s mayoral candidate for the general election after series of debates with the candidates and consultations among Nigerians.
During a virtual meeting with the Nigerian community coordinated by the Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) and the Nigerian-American Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC), Adams expressed gratitude at their commitment and dedication that led to his emergence as the party standard bearer in the forthcoming election.
He announced that a transition team was being put in place ahead of the November 2 election, noting that the Nigerian community should prepare its members to be in the team.
“You were clear that I was your candidate and you committed to this victory we are celebrating right now; thank you very much. We don’t only want you to help us when we need you to govern, we want members of your community on the transition team.
“I need you to get the job done, the mobilisation effort that you will put in place, the thousands of phone calls, reaching out to the various groups, raising the money and other campaign activities,” he said.
Adams also solicited financial support from the Nigerian community to achieve the estimated $7.2 million needed for the election.
“We want to encourage you to reach out to your constituency and tell them that we can raise that amount of money,’’ he said.
Earlier, Chairman of NAPAC New York Gbenga Omotayo had advised Adams to implement a people’s plan that would deliver on security, assistance in housing, and support for working families across the five boroughs of New York – the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
“We are proud to say we delivered on our promise. Among many things, we did an endorsement, we organised a fund raiser and we launched an SMS banking campaign targeting 10,000 African voters,” he said.
Omotayo also assured that the Nigerian community aimed to secure a landslide victory for the Democratic candidate in November.
The mayoral candidate is projected to win the election as New York City is traditionally a Democrat city and the party usually produces the mayor.
Once a victim of Police brutality at age 15, Adams, a retired Police captain, remains passionate about improving policing to bridge distrust among racial tribes in New York and promote safer communities.