2027: NRM’s Okereke targets hunger, insecurity

NRM presidential candidate, Esther Okereke

The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Dr Esther Okereke, has promised to rescue Nigeria from insecurity, hunger, unemployment and hopelessness if elected in the 2027 general elections.

Okereke, one of the two female candidates contesting the 2027 presidential election, made the promise on Tuesday while inaugurating the party’s Presidential Campaign Council.

She said the inauguration was not merely about setting up a campaign structure but the beginning of what she described as a “rescue team” for the country.

“Today, we are not just inaugurating a campaign council. Today, we are inaugurating the Rescue Team of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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

“For too long, campaigns have been about noise. Our campaign will be about structure, evidence and peace,” she said.

The candidate said the NRM was seeking to address some of the challenges confronting the country, including insecurity, hunger, unemployment and hopelessness.

“Why NRM? Why now? Nigeria does not need another government. Nigeria needs rescue.

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“Rescue from darkness. Rescue from hunger. Rescue from insecurity. Rescue from joblessness. Rescue from hopelessness,” Okereke said.

She said the party’s principles included legality, constitutionalism, accountability, transparency, unity, peaceful participation and the rule of law.

Okereke also said the campaign council had been structured to operate from the national level down to the polling units, with 30 national directorates, six geopolitical zones, 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, local government areas and wards.

She directed members of the council to operate within an established chain of command and warned against unauthorised statements and parallel commands.

The campaign council is chaired by Chinedu Obi, with Okereke as co-chairman, Dr Mustapha Umar Kumshe as the deputy chairman, while Nasir Suleiman Muhammed is the co-deputy chairman.

Hassan Aminu Ibrahim is the secretary, Obidike Okolo is the deputy secretary, Alhaji Sani Garba is the Director-General, while Shedrach Oka is the Deputy Director-General.
The council also comprises zonal and state chairmen and other officials and members appointed by the party.

The national chairman of the party, Chinedu Obi, said the NRM was founded on the conviction that Nigeria could work again through stronger institutions, accountability and effective leadership.

According to him, Nigeria possesses enormous human and natural resources, agricultural potential, a youthful population and opportunities for industrial, technological and service-sector development, but requires institutions and leadership systems capable of translating those advantages into measurable improvements in citizens’ lives.