John Godson (birthname
Godson Chikama Onyekwere) was born in Nigeria to an
Igbo family from
Umuahia,
Abia State. He moved to
Poland in 1993, and in 2001 became a Polish citizen. In 2008, he became a member of the
Łódź City Council. In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran in the Polish parliamentary election. In 2010, he was re-elected for the City Council with 4736 votes, the second best result out of almost 800 candidates. As former MP Hanna Zdanowska was elected Mayor of Łódź in the same election, Godson replaced her as a member of the
Sejm. He was sworn in on 14 December 2010. The
"Obama bump" is considered by many the reason for the many votes he received during the Sejm campaign. His supporters were known to cheer
"Wiwat! Wiwat polski Obama!" (
"Long live the Polish Obama!"). John Godson was re-elected as a member of the Polish parliament on 9 October 2011 with 29,832 votes Godson often emphasizes the importance of education and he is the holder of numerous academic degrees. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy from Abia State University in Nigeria (1987–92). He also holds master's degrees in Human Resource Management and Development from Trinity College and Seminary in Newburgh, Indiana (2000–03) and International relations from the Łódź Academy of International Studies (2006–08). He finished two doctorate studies at the
University of Warsaw (Political Science, 2011) and
University of Łódź (Management, 2012). He also holds a joint MBA/MSPC (Master of Business Administration/Master of Science in Professional Communication) run by
Clark University and the Łódź Academy of Management. He was a senior lecturer at the
Technical University of Szczecin (1993–97) and at
Adam Mickiewicz University,
Poznań. He is a guest lecturer in various institutions of higher learning in Poland and abroad. He is the founder of GODSON GROUP- a conglomerate of five companies and four foundations including the African Institute in Poland and John Godson Foundation. The New African magazine named him as being amongst 100 of the most influential people in Africa in 2015. On 14 November 2016, The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs decorated him with
Bene Merito honorary distinction for promoting Polish-Africa relations. In February 2021, he announced his intention to run for
President of Nigeria in the
2023 Nigerian general election. He is currently contesting for a senatorial position under the platform of the African Democratic Congress "ADC" in Abia Central, 2023. ==Religious views==