Chigozie Onyema

Chigozie U. Onyema is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 28th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since taking office in January 2026. He previously served as assistant commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Early life and education Onyema was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in the Hilton neighborhood of Maplewood. His parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria. After graduating from Columbia High School, he unsuccessfully ran for school board of the South Orange-Maplewood School District in 2005.

Onyema earned his Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law, Bachelor of Arts in Afro-American Studies from Howard University, and Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Essex County College. He advanced to the general election against Dupré Kelly, former Lords of the Underground member and an ally of mayor Ras Baraka.

New Jersey General Assembly In 2024, Onyema announced he would run for the New Jersey General Assembly in the 28th district in 2025. He and incumbent Cleopatra Tucker won the co-endorsements of the Essex County and Union County Democratic Committees; incumbent Garnet Hall initially earned the Union County endorsement but lost it for supporting Steve Fulop in the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election. He was the first candidate to be endorsed by the New Jersey Working Families Party leading up to the statewide primary election. He placed second in the Democratic primary election, advancing to the general election alongside Tucker and defeating Hall for re-nomination.

Electoral history 2025

2022