Nigerian-born Shirley Emehelu named New Jersey lieutenant governor

Shirley Emehelu, who was born in Nigeria, has been sworn in as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor, the first immigrant to hold the office, according to 6abc and WHYY.

Governor Mikie Sherrill announced the appointment in Trenton on Monday, November 9, 2026. Emehelu was sworn in by New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and will also serve as secretary of state, as her predecessor did. The Black Information Network reports that she and Sherrill are the first two women to hold the state’s governor and lieutenant governor posts at the same time.

Emehelu moved to the United States from Nigeria at the age of three, according to WHYY. She spent nine years as a federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where she handled financial fraud cases, and served as the state’s executive assistant attorney general from 2022 to 2024, according to the governor’s office. She was serving as state comptroller when Sherrill asked her in September to step in as acting secretary of state.

She succeeds Dale Caldwell, who resigned as lieutenant governor on September 25 after an independent investigation found he engaged in sexual harassment and ethics violations, according to WHYY.

“I said I wanted a partner in government who would represent my administration and the people of New Jersey with honor and integrity,” Sherrill said. “I found that partner in Shirley, a leader with an exceptional track record of doing right by people.” Sherrill said she has known Emehelu for more than a decade.

Emehelu said she looks forward to working with the governor to make life more affordable and expand opportunity for all communities. Ashley Koning, director of the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, described her as a “safe” pick, someone the governor knows personally and who has been well vetted.

In a statement from the governor’s office, Sherrill said Emehelu has shown a commitment to public service through work prosecuting financial fraud, tackling government waste and abuse, defending civil rights and protecting consumers. “I’ve spent my career upholding the law, protecting families, and rooting out fraud, abuse, and corruption,” Emehelu said, adding that she would focus on lowering costs, expanding opportunities and making sure government delivers for residents. According to Punch, she lived first in Chicago and then in Pittsburgh, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree from Yale.