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A British YouTube star has caused a stir during the UK general election by becoming an unlikely parliamentary candidate to take Rishi Sunak’s seat.
Niko Omilana is a 26-year-old content creator from Staffordshire with around 7 million followers on the video platform, having gained popularity for his parody videos, original comedy sketches, pranks and various vlog entries.
Despite dominating the online entertainment scene, the YouTuber has been making waves in the British political arena in recent months.
And, following Labour’s landslide victory in today’s general election results, Omilana could be seen mocking Rishi Sunak with a loser sign as Former First Minister wins Northallerton seat.
Who is Niko Omilana and what impact has this digital influencer had on traditional politics? Read on to find out.
Despite dominating the world of online entertainment, YouTuber Niko Omilana (pictured) has been making waves in the British political arena of late (file image)
Who is Niko Omilana?
Niko Omilana, 26, is an influencer born to an English mother and a Nigerian Yoruba father in London, but raised in Staffordshire after his parents divorced.
He began his career as a content creator by posting original comedy skits, pranks, and vlogs, which quickly earned him a whopping 7.5 million followers on YouTube.
Omilana, a former Buzzfeed member, is now the founder of the NDL Movement (Niko Defense League) and a member of the popular YouTube group, Beta Squad.
In August 2018, he successfully crashed the boxing match between KSI and Logan Paul and was able to get into the ring, where he conducted prank interviews with Jake Paul, Logan Paul, and Shannon Briggs.
Later in November 2019, he successfully sneaked into the boxers’ rematch and attempted to get into the ring, but was quickly removed by security guards.
These successful stunts earned him the respect of his fellow YouTubers around the world.
Omilana began his career as a content creator by posting original comedy skits, pranks, and vlogs, quickly earning him a whopping 7.5 million followers on YouTube (stock image)
When did Niko Omilana run for Mayor of London and why?
In April 2021, Omilana stood for mayor of London and a surprising result emerged regarding support for the YouTube star.
Polls had indicated that the youngest candidate would come in fifth place, with a projected five percent of the vote.
In fact, he received 49,628 votes as his first choice (a total of 1.96 percent) and 75,199 people chose Omilana as their second choice.
On May 9, 2021, he tweeted: “I won’t stop until the whole country is running on vibration.”
His policies included removing the teeth of racists, banning three-quarter length trousers and ensuring that pregnant women are offered a seat on the tube within a minute of boarding the carriage – otherwise the women are allowed to drive the rest of the way.
He also promised to cut the price of a Freddo bar to 5p, a reference to many people’s inflation criteria.
Before the vote, she told Buzzfeed: “I’m taking this very seriously. I don’t know how I can convey it to voters any more than I am doing now.”
In the end, the YouTuber didn’t win, but he didn’t come last either, as he received more votes than Laurence Fox for the Reclaim Party.
Niko Omilana seen in London in the run-up to the London mayoral race (file image)
UKIP’s Peter Gammon (right) and Rejoin EU’s Richard Hewison (left) with independent Niko Omilana arriving at City Hall in London for the declaration of the next Mayor of London.
How else has Niko Omilana been involved in UK politics?
Omilana’s name has been registered in 11 different electoral districts as a candidate for deputy, which appears to be a violation of the Electoral Commission’s rules.
The Electoral Commission says it is aware of the current situation and that if any action is to be taken, it would be up to the police.
In a statement emailed to TIMEA spokesman said: “We are aware that the same person has been nominated as a candidate in several constituencies in the general election.
‘Candidates must confirm in their nomination papers that they are not standing in any other electoral district.’
‘It is a crime for a person to provide false information on nomination papers when applying to be a candidate, including falsely confirming that they will not be standing in another electoral district.’
In 2022, Omilana gave a speech outside Downing Street to people dressed in circus costumes during an organised protest calling for the resignation of Boris Johnson, then Prime Minister.
This came after Johnson suffered four staff defections as pressure mounted on the embattled leader over lockdown parties and his informal style of politics.
Niko Omilana poses for photographs with a fan as they stand among people in costume during a protest outside the gates of Downing Street, London, February 6, 2022.
Niko Omilana delivers a speech as he stands among people in costume during a protest outside the gates of Downing Street in London on February 6, 2022.
This morning, Omilana taunted Rishi Sunak with a loser sign as the former prime minister won his Northallerton seat.
The YouTuber donned a pair of children’s sunglasses as the chairman announced he had won 160 votes in the battle for the North Yorkshire seat.
However, when Sunak took to the stand to concede defeat in the general election despite having regained his seat, the prankster produced a piece of paper emblazoned with a giant ‘L’.
This morning, Omilana mocked Rishi Sunak with a loser sign as the former prime minister won his Northallerton seat (file image)
Omilana was able to take the stage because he had stood as an independent candidate in the electoral district, obtaining a total of 160 votes (file image)
He could be seen moving behind the former prime minister to ensure his sign was captured by the cameras as the Tory leader admitted he had lost the election in the worst Tory defeat in history.
He later wrote on his social media pages, where he has 7.49 million followers: ‘Wait a minute L rishi, your time is up.’
Omilana himself stood as an independent in the constituency, where he received a total of 160 votes.
Before the election in June, Omilana joked that she planned to “completely remove” Sunak from politics.
Taking to X“Rishi Sunak wants to send young people to war, that’s why I’ve decided to declare war on the system,” he wrote.
The YouTuber was referring to the former prime minister’s idea of implementing a national service programme for young people in the UK, which would include military service for some people.
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