Oye Owolewa, a Democrat and D.C.'s shadow U.S. representative, is running for one of two at-large seats on the D.C. Council in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.

Owolewa, a pharmacist who lives in Ward 8, would join a four-candidate field. The other candidates are Darrell Green (Republican), Darryl L.C. Moch (Statehood Green) and Elissa Silverman (Independent), according to BallotReady election data. Voters will choose up to two candidates for the two open seats.

Candidate information

  • Full legal name: Adeoye Ibrahim Yakubu-Owolewa
  • Party: Democratic
  • Residence: Ward 8, Southeast Washington, D.C.
  • Born: 1989, Boston, Massachusetts. Raised in Newton, Massachusetts.
  • Family background: Parents are from Nigeria's Kwara and Osun states.
  • Education: High school diploma, Boston Latin School (2008); bachelor of science in pharmacy, Northeastern University; doctorate in pharmacy, Northeastern University (2014)

Experience and public service

Owolewa has held elected office and worked as a pharmacist across the District, according to BallotReady profile data and the New Columbia Statehood Commission:

  • Shadow member of the U.S. House of Representatives for D.C. (2021–present)
  • Commissioner, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8E01 (2018–2021)
  • Pharmacist and director, Safeway (2019–present)
  • Pharmacist, Walgreens (2018–2019)
  • Pharmacist, Rite Aid (2014–2019)
  • Pharmacist, Giant Food

Owolewa is the first Nigerian American to serve on the New Columbia Statehood Commission, according to the commission's website. He won the Washington D.C. Pharmacy Association's Cardinal GenerationRx Champions Award in 2017 for work on prescription drug abuse, according to his online biography.

On the issues

The following positions are drawn from Owolewa's responses to BallotReady questionnaires and his campaign website. All statements reflect the candidate's own claims.

Housing: Owolewa said he would prioritize preserving existing affordable housing, saying preservation is faster, less expensive and more effective than rebuilding after units are lost. He said he would dedicate a significant share of the Housing Production Trust Fund to preservation, including Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act transactions and limited-equity cooperatives. He said he would restore and fully fund the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, fully fund the Local Rent Supplement Program and pair assistance with a right to counsel in eviction cases.

Health care: Owolewa said he supports moving D.C. toward a single-payer Medicare for All system. He said he would fight to restore and permanently fund D.C. Medicaid and the D.C. Healthcare Alliance, oppose budgets that eliminate care for 25,000 residents and raise Medicaid reimbursement rates. As a pharmacist, he said he would take on pharmacy benefit managers by ending spread pricing to lower prescription drug costs.

Statehood and home rule: Owolewa said he would continue organizing for statehood while opposing congressional overrides and protecting voter-approved initiatives.

Public safety: Owolewa said he favors expanding violence interruption programs, youth employment and community-based prevention. He said mental health emergencies should be handled by trained responders rather than armed officers. He said he would oppose expansions of pretrial detention and increase oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Transportation: Owolewa said he supports the DMV Moves regional funding plan and would push Maryland and Virginia to match D.C.'s commitment so Metro has reliable long-term funding. He said he would work to reduce and eliminate fares, expand bus priority corridors and move traffic enforcement into a civilian system.

Endorsements

Owolewa has received the following endorsements, according to the sources indicated:

  • Brianne Nadeau, D.C. Council member for Ward 1 (reported by Axios Washington D.C.)
  • 314 Action (according to BallotReady profile data)

Candidate positions were drawn from Owolewa's responses to BallotReady questionnaires and his campaign websites. The Capital City Post did not interview the candidate for this profile.