2027: I’ll Prioritise Security, Jobs, Says NRM Presidential Candidate

The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Dr Esther Nkem Okereke, has pledged to prioritise access to electricity, food security, improved security and job creation, declaring that her ambition is to rescue Nigerians from economic hardship and hopelessness.

Okereke made the declaration on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, during the inauguration of the NRM Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections, where she outlined her vision of a government focused on prosperity, accountability and national unity.

Presenting the NRM as a vehicle for addressing Nigeria’s challenges, she said the country needed more than another change of government, insisting that Nigerians required a rescue from the difficulties confronting their daily lives.

“Nigeria does not need another government. Nigeria needs RESCUE. Rescue from darkness. Rescue from hunger. Rescue from insecurity. Rescue from joblessness. Rescue from hopelessness,” she said.

The presidential candidate identified electricity, hunger, insecurity and unemployment as key areas requiring urgent attention, although she did not announce specific policy targets, funding arrangements or timelines for addressing the challenges.

She said her political vision was centred on sharing prosperity rather than merely distributing political power, promising a campaign based on evidence, structure and peaceful participation.

“For too long, politics in Nigeria has been about sharing power. Our politics will be about sharing prosperity,” Okereke declared.

She also emphasised the importance of legality, constitutionalism, accountability, transparency, national unity and the rule of law, describing these principles as the foundation of the NRM’s proposed approach to governance.

Okereke said the party intended to build a coordinated political organisation capable of translating its vision into practical action, with structures extending from the national leadership through the six geopolitical zones and 36 states to local government areas, wards and polling units.

She charged the newly inaugurated campaign council to ensure that its operations were guided by discipline, clear responsibilities and measurable performance.

The NRM candidate also placed particular emphasis on the participation of women, young people and students, describing them as the heart of the party’s campaign.

She said the party’s women and youth structures would be active at every level, suggesting that their participation would be central to its mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 elections.

On security, Okereke pledged that her campaign would reject intimidation, harassment and political violence, while committing its Security and Safety Liaison Directorate to working exclusively with legally constituted security agencies.

“We will have a written safety plan for every major event. We will not intimidate, we will not harass. We will not bully. We will Rescue, Rebuild and Restore,” she said.

She further promised to promote financial integrity and accountability within the party’s campaign organisation, directing all council officers to sign a code of conduct that prohibits incitement, impersonation and other misconduct.

The candidate outlined a five-phase programme for the campaign, covering organisation, capacity building, nationwide operations, election readiness and election-day activities, with the final phase to be conducted in accordance with the rules of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Okereke said the campaign council would be subject to regular reporting requirements, including daily incident reports, weekly performance reports and monthly consolidated reports.

While her address focused on the broad challenges she intends to tackle and the principles that would guide her proposed administration, the candidate did not provide detailed policy proposals on how her government would achieve the promised improvements in electricity, food security, public safety and employment.

She, however, described the campaign council’s inauguration as the beginning of an organised effort to present the NRM’s vision to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We will run the most lawful, most organized, most peaceful campaign this nation has ever seen,” she said, formally inaugurating the council and urging its members to mobilise across the country.

The national chairman of the party, Prince Chinedu Obi, said the party’s philosophy is anchored on the rule of law for peace, productivity and shared prosperity.