Okeke believes her background gives her ideal platform to become Longford-Westmeath's first Green Party TD

Carol Okeke is aiming to become the Green Party's first TD in the Longford-Westmeath constituency and she believes her employment, education and upbringing is a huge benefit.

The mother of four was declared as a candidate in late-October and she said the primary issues she wants to address are housing, amenities and youth engagement

Ms Okeke stated she has not been canvassing much yet, but she is ready to start an extensive campaign to secure one of the constituency’s five seats.

Ms Okeke stood in and deputised for party colleague Cllr Hazel Smyth when the Mullingar-based public representative went on Maternity leave last March.

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"It was an exciting experience," she said. "I don't really see myself as a politician, I just see myself as a person that can relate to others no matter what level, religion, what sex, whatever the person."

Ms Okeke has educational qualifications in theatre arts and human resources management, both of which she insists are people orientated.

The manager spent 15 years working in Kinnegad  at Tesco in Mullingar has been employed in the retail industry for 19 years.

"My greatest interest is interacting with people and I get to do a lot of that in my job," she said. "My mother would always say that every day is a learning process and I never say I know it all."

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Ms Okeke is originally from Nigeria, an African country with a population of 200 million people with a lot of diverse cultures and languages.

"I am living in Ireland 24 years and that gives me a bit of strength, we see different things, yes we are from the same culture (in Ireland) but we still have diverse attitudes and the way we relate is completely different," she said. "So, it makes it not that difficult to see things in different societies because you are already from a diverse community so it makes it easier and my kids are the window to the new generation, the Gen Zs."