By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The National Rescue Movement, NRM, has elected Dr Esther Nkem Okereke as its presidential candidate for the 2027 election, with the party declaring that Nigeria’s vast wealth has failed to improve the lives of millions of citizens and promising a new approach to governance, security and economic management.

The nomination places the NRM formally in the 2027 presidential race and signals the party’s attempt to position itself as an alternative platform built around economic recovery, institutional reform, youth inclusion and what it describes as a national rescue mission.

Okereke accepted the party’s ticket at the NRM national convention in Abuja, where the National Chairman, Prince Chinedu Obi, announced that she emerged as the only aspirant who met all the requirements set by the party’s screening process.

In her acceptance speech, the candidate said Nigeria’s problems were rooted not in a lack of resources but in years of poor leadership, corruption and weak governance that have left millions struggling amid widespread insecurity and economic hardship.

She said, “Nigeria today is a nation battling systemic failure, a land of enormous potential trapped by poor leadership, corruption, selfishness, and lack of vision.

“Nigeria is not ordained to remain the poverty capital of the world. Nigeria was not destined to bury the dreams of its youths.”

Seeking to outline her governing vision, Okereke unveiled what she called the ESTHER Agenda, a policy framework centred on economic renewal, security, education, healthcare, job creation and governance reforms.

She said the plan would focus on improving education, expanding access to electricity, creating jobs, supporting businesses, modernising government services and strengthening healthcare delivery.

“Our children must compete globally, not merely locally. Our economy must produce wealth, not merely distribute poverty,” she said.

Making security one of the pillars of her campaign, the NRM candidate pledged to strengthen intelligence gathering, modernise law enforcement institutions and restore public confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives and property.

“Security shall no longer be treated as a privilege for the few, but as a constitutional right of every Nigerian,” she said.

Okereke also appealed to young people and women to become more involved in politics and governance, arguing that lasting national transformation would require broader participation by groups that have often been excluded from decision-making.

Earlier, Obi said the country’s biggest challenge was not a shortage of resources or talent but the inability of successive leaders to translate Nigeria’s enormous potential into shared prosperity.

“The paradox of Nigeria is that a nation so rich has produced so many poor people,” he said.

Obi argued that poverty, insecurity, corruption and weak institutions were not permanent features of Nigerian society and could be reversed through purposeful leadership and stronger governance structures.

“We reject the idea that poverty is our destiny. We reject the notion that insecurity is inevitable. We reject the assumption that corruption is incurable. We reject the belief that Nigeria cannot work,” he said.

The NRM chairman said the party’s Rescue Nigeria Blueprint provides the policy foundation for its campaign, covering areas such as security, economic growth, agriculture, infrastructure, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and institutional reform.

According to him, the blueprint contains implementation timelines, performance indicators and monitoring mechanisms intended to ensure accountability in government.

“The Blueprint is not a campaign slogan. It is not a collection of empty promises. …