Nigerian born U.S Senate aspirant challenged U.S most popular politician Bernie Sanders

A Nigerian lady, Folasade Adeluola who challenged U.S. most popular politician, Senator Bernie Sanders in Democratic primary election, has filed a complaint with the state, saying she should be declared the Democratic nominee.

Last week, the presidential hopeful, Bernie Sanders won nearly 91 percent of the vote to defeat Adeluola who only has 5.4 percent of the vote.
Adeluola filed a complaint with the Vermont Secretary of State Office on the eve of the primary, decrying Sanders’ practice of declining the Democratic Party nomination and instead running as an independent in the general elections.

The 55years old Folashade says she is self-employed in insurance and accounting. She is registered to vote in Shelburne and cast her ballot in Shelburne Aug. 14. Originally from Nigeria, Adeluola said she is a single mother of a child with Down syndrome and heart issues; she says she has been an activist since 1994 when she became a U.S. citizen.

Adeluola argues that Sanders was not “a true contestant” in the Democratic primary because he doesn’t accept the party nomination. “The regularity of Sanders’ infidelity to the Democrat party and the Vermont primary process flies in the face of the clear intent of Vermont’s constitutional demand that ‘elections ought to be free and without corruption in electing officers to their government,’” her complaint states.
It says Sanders tries to “game” elections and keeps “legitimate” Democratic candidates off the ballot. The complaint asks that the secretary of state declare Adeluola the “true candidate” and winner of the party’s nomination.

Sanders, who came close to winning the national Democratic nomination for president in 2016, has served in the U.S. Senate and earlier in the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent who caucuses and often votes with Democrats.

In his long career in Vermont politics, Sanders eschewed party labels, although his tenure as mayor of Burlington gave rise to Burlington’s Progressive Coalition as a third party in city and eventually state politics.

Sanders, 76, is now seeking his third Senate term and is considered a potential contender for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. His populist message has gained a strong national following as he promotes economic issues such as universal health care through a “Medicare for all” plan.


Last week Adeluola said Sanders is too focused on national politics and should no longer be representing Vermont. “He is cruising around the nation campaigning for 2020 instead of doing the right thing for Vermonters,” “It is time for Bernie to retire, it is time for him to go,” “He’s not a Democrat.” She said

Despite Adeluola’s objections, the Vermont Democratic Party says it plans to throw its full support behind Sanders regardless of the label beside his name on the November ballot. Adeluola has filed to be on the general election ballot as an independent, according to the state elections office.

Adeluola, however, takes many of the same positions as Sanders. She favors expansion of Medicaid and Medicare, a more progressive tax policy and a $15 per hour minimum wage, immigration reform and LGBTQ rights. "I am nobody trying to stand up for the Vermonters, because then I would become somebody," Adeluola said. "Fighting hard for the Vermonters. The Vermonters need a full-time senator."
Adeluola said if she loses the primary, she will run as an Independent in November.