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4 Nigerian Beauty Queens Who Became Politicians
Beauty queens are no longer satisfied with simply looking pretty while wearing a sash or tiara. They are hungry for more! Nigerian Beauty Pageants
They now want to use their position to affect change in their communities, countries, and continents.
As a result, beauty queens all over the world are wading into the murky waters of politics.
In Nigeria, the situation is no different, as we have seen former beauty queens become actively involved in politics.
This article focuses on some former Nigerian beauty queens who have become politicians.
Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu
Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu is the daughter of former Chief Justice Chuba Ikpeazu, who was also a two-time NFA chairman.
She won the first edition of the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MGBN) pageant in 1986. Nigerian Beauty Pageants
She was also the first Nigerian to compete in Miss Universe since Edna Park in 1964. Her most notable pageant accomplishment, however, was being crowned Miss Africa the same year.
Chuba-Ikpeazu went into business in Lagos after her reign, specializing in oil servicing.
From 1999 to 2003, she ran for and was elected to represent the Onitsha North and South Federal Constituencies in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Peoples Party (APP), which later became the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).
Chuba-Ikpeazu was elected to the Nigerian National Assembly in 2004 as a PDP candidate to represent the Onitsha North-South federal constituency.
Chuba-Ikpeazu, 55, was educated in Nigeria, England, and America. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in business administration. She also has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Buckingham, where she graduated with First Class Honours and won several awards.
Lynda-Chuba-Ikpeazu is a ranking member of the House of Representatives, having served in that capacity since 1999, with a four-year interregnum.
Bianca Ojukwu
Bianca Ojukwu is the famous wife of the late former Biafran leader, Chukuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu, 52, has won numerous international pageant titles.
Miss Bianca Ojukwu, who was then Miss Bianca Ono, won the Miss Martini pageant in the mid-1980s.
She was crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in December 1988, but reigned through most part of 1989.
Bianca also won the Miss Africa pageant in 1989, which was held in Gambia.
She represented Nigeria at both Miss World and Miss Universe in Hong Kong and Mexico, respectively. She had even more success the following year when she was crowned Miss Intercontinental. As a result, she became the first African woman to win the Miss Intercontinental pageant.
She was named Miss Congeniality at Russia’s now-defunct Miss Charm International, where she was also a semi-finalist.
Later in life, Bianca Ojukwu dabbled in politics.
President Goodluck Jonathan appointed her as Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs in 2011.
She was appointed as Nigeria’s ambassador to Ghana in 2012, and later as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain. Nigerian Beauty Pageants
Bianca Ojukwu served on the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the political party founded by her late husband, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and which still holds political power in Anambra State. Her bid to represent her senatorial district in 2018 was thwarted due to irregularities in her party’s primary elections.
She is Nigeria’s permanent representative to the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations.
Rosemary Okeke
Rose Okeke is a politician and businesswoman.
Rosemary Okeke won the coveted Miss Nigeria Beauty Pageant crown in 1985. At the time, she was 21 years old.
Following her reign, she ventured into the fashion and tourism industries, both of which she was passionate about.
Rose Okeke later became active in politics, serving as Special Adviser/Imo State Liaison Officer in Abuja. She was then assigned to Lagos as the Imo State Liaison Officer.
Aliyu Habibat
Aliyu Habibat is a former beauty queen who is now an entrepreneur, fashion designer, and politician.
The business administration graduate is a former Miss Kogi as well as the Queen of Aso Nigeria Tourism.
She was also the winner of the Miss Comely Queen Nigeria pageant, which was held in Nigeria.
Aliyu Habibat ran for election to the Kogi State House of Assembly in 2018 to represent Lokoja 1 Constituency.
She ran on the Labour Party (LP) platform and won the primary at the age of 28.
At 28 years, this made her the youngest person in Kogi State to contest for that office.
