Oye Owolewa

Adeoye Ibrahim "Oye" Yakubu-Owolewa (born 1989) is an American politician, pharmacist and member of the Democratic Party who has served as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia in the United States House of Representatives since 2021. In Congress, he is tasked with lobbying for D.C. statehood; the unpaid position was authorized by D.C. voters in 1982 but was never approved by Congress. He is currently a candidate for DC Council in the 2026 election.

Early life and career Oye Owolewa was born in Boston, to a father from Omu Aran, in Kwara State, and a mother from Ilesa, in Osun State. He is the grandson of Phoebe C. Ajayi-Obe, a senior advocate of Nigeria. and nearby Boston, where he attended Boston Latin School and graduated in 2008. In 2014, he earned a doctorate in pharmacy from Northeastern University and moved to Washington to practice pharmacy.

After graduating, Owolewa worked as a pharmacist. In 2017, he won the Washington DC Pharmacy Association's Cardinal GenerationRx Champions Award for his work with prescription drug abuse.

Political career In 2018, Owolewa was elected to the Ward 8, District 8E Advisory Neighborhood Commission.

Shadow Representative In the November 2020 election, Owolewa was elected Shadow Representative for the District of Columbia.

In 2020, a special thanksgiving prayer was held on Sunday in honor of Owolewa after being elected as the U.S. Shadow Member for Columbia District by members of his family in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria. The prayer, which was led by the Chief Imam of Omu Aran, took place at the Owolewa family compound, in Igangu, Omu Aran, headquarters of Irepodun local government area of Kwara State.

In August 2021, Owolewa criticized U.S. Senator Joe Manchin for his lack of support for D.C statehood legislation.

In May 2022, the Capital Stonewall Democrats endorsed Owolewa for the 2022 election.

In October 2025, Owolewa said he was the victim of political intimidation after "F U" was painted on his doorstep. Cameras at Owolewa's home were not working and the police were unable to identify any suspects. He said the attack was "political vandalism" that is "often used to silence those who speak truth to power."

Political positions D.C. Statehood In an article titled "The Time Is Now For D.C. Statehood" in the Washington Socialist publication, Owolewa states that without statehood, the District of Columbia is limited in its ability to raise revenue, since all of its laws are subject to congressional approval and much of its land is federally-owned and therefore untaxed. Despite having state-like duties, from education to road maintenance, the District is explicitly barred from taxing the wages earned by non-residents who work within its borders, unlike any other state. The prohibition on such state revenue collection practices makes it hard for the District to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Owolewa wrote:

On January 17, 2022, Owolewa participated in the 16th annual Peace Walk in Ward 8. The focus of the Peace Walk was to urge the U.S. Senate to consider the Freedom to Vote Act of 2021 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. "Members of the [Martin Luther] King family support statehood, and I have seen them wear T-shirts indicating that," Owolewa said.

On March 11, 2022, at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, West Virginia, Owolewa introduced a D.C. Statehood Resolution with Minority Leader Doug Skaff Jr. and State Representative Sean Hornbuckle.

LGBTQ rights Owolewa is supportive of LGBT rights. In an article titled "Anti-trans legislation has ripple effect in D.C.", Owolewa argued that bills which make gender-affirming care more difficult to access lead to excessive spending and worse outcomes for transgender youth.

Advocacy In May 2022, Owolewa, alongside Chef Spike Mendelsohn, co-chaired D.C's first-ever Veg Restaurant Week.

Climate change In July 2022, Owolewa joined a campaign to protest the Supreme Court's decision to limit the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate greenhouse gases and to call for more action on climate change.

Personal life Owolewa resides in Ward 8 in Southeast Washington D.C. In October 2024, he was hospitalized for a week after a serious car accident.

Electoral history