Pop Culture and Politics

Niko Omilana is a YouTuber in the UK, who last year decided to vote for London Mayor. While his campaign came across originally as satire his bid was serious. He began his announcement walking out of his house in a tracksuit and blazer while wearing children’s sunglasses, announcing he is running for mayor. This announcement gained him 69,223 followers in April 2021. It was clear from reading his manifesto it was doing in a satirical way, and no one expected him to make waves at all in this election, especially his 20 other competitors. 

In may 2021, when the election was underway, Niko gained 84,297 followers. Niko Omilana placed 5th in the entire election, beating some very serious competitors, which was a shock to many. while his whole campaign looked to be a joke, he had a message showing that young people are willing to vote along as you give them some representation. his mission was to prove that young people are interested in politics if you give them to opportunity to be. Even though his campaign was not very serious and controversial he proved his point and even placed well in the election as the most popular independent party in London.

His final Spike was in June 2021, where he got 58,259 followers after releasing a short documentary on his youtube channel about his campaign. He documented his behind the scenes of his campaign and even inside the voting process, while speaking to his other competitors. Making sure he got his message across for young people, all in a joking manner. Definitely an unconventional and expensive way to get young people involved in politics, but he made his mark in the political world.