A Welcome Address At
THE NIGERIAN AMERICANS UNITED
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (NAUPAC)
Webinar on
“GET OUT THE VOTES”
Given By:
Christian N. Ihenacho, Executive Director
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our first ever NAUPAC Webinar. Our theme for the webinar today is “Get-Out-The-Vote,” otherwise GOTV.
The upcoming midterm elections are critical because our fundamental human civil rights are under attack. If right-wing politicians were to gain more seats in the United States Congress, it will further threaten centuries of hard-fought battles for equal rights, heighten insecurity, and cause serious damage to our democracy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is for the above reason that NAUPAC is committed to raising the consciousness of the Nigerian American community to get out, register, and vote in great numbers in the upcoming midterm elections. Traditionally, midterm elections do not attract a lot of attention, but this midterm election is different because of what is at stake. If we fail to support candidates who can protect the interests of our community in the United States Congress, we might witness further roll backs of our civil liberties. With the support of the conservative leaning US Supreme Court Justices, we can expect roll backs of more civil rights laws, as in the case of Roe v. Wade, which referred to states the power to regulate and enforce abortion laws. This means that

an individual state will decide on what protections they will provide for their residents instead of the previous federal protections that were fought long and hard for.
NAUPAC is concerned about the legacy we, as Nigerian Americans will bequeath to our children and the generations to come if we fail to ensure that their safety and fundamental human rights are protected. Today in the United States, we experience growing tensions on many fronts: rising extremism, increasing gun violence, war against our political process and democratic principles, and the January 6, 2020 attempt to take over the government. These should give everyone in our community and beyond, a cause not only to be concerned, but more importantly, to act to protect our fundamental rights in this nation of our “New Homeland.” (We are not safe in Nigeria, let it not be that we are also not safe in the US anymore).
NAUPAC was founded in 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, at which time, we chose to support the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Presidential ticket, which they won. We are proud of our efforts to quickly mobilize our community through a series of social media campaigns to join the efforts to win that election. We are once again mobilizing to secure the necessary votes to keep the US Congress honest to the Principles enshrined in the US Constitution by our Founding Fathers. Most importantly, long before the US Constitution was even written, our ancestors who were brought here shackled in chains as slaves, and their descendants for over four centuries and to-date, have fought, and continue to fight the battle for Equal Rights and civil liberties. It is on the backs of our enslaved-ancestors and their descendants that we, immigrant blacks, have stood to make the great achievements we have made today in the United States of America.
Therefore, we can no longer be docile in our responsibilities to actively engage in the US political process. We need to rise and let our voices be heard, our votes counted, and our collective political might be recognized as a strong constituent part of the Greater African American community, as well as members of the minority class.

We have lined up Outstanding Personalities who will help us understand more about why we need to actively engage in the US political process. Today you will hear from our first-ever Nigerian American elected to the US Congress, Representative Oye Owolewa; the indefatigable, International Renowned Political Activist, and “Entertainer Par-Excellence,” Mr. Charles Oputa, otherwise known as Charly Boy/Area Fada; our very own, long-time community Leader, Builder, and politician, but best known in the medical field as Dr. Julius Kpaduwa; and last, but not least, the first-ever Nigerian American to be elected to the Minnesota State House, Representative, Attorney Esther Agbaje.
We trust that by the end of this event, we would have given you one very strong reason to be engaged in the politics of your local community, state, and the national forums; as well as strong reason for you to support NAUPAC’s mission through your in-kind and generous financial support.
Once again, I welcome you to our webinar.
On behalf of the NAUPAC Working Committee,
I thank you, and
May God Bless the Nigerian Americans United Political Action Committee
May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and
May God Bless the United States of America