The National Rescue Movement (NRM) yesteday endorsed Dr. Esther Nkem Okereke as its consensus presidential candidate.
Speaking during the party’s presidential primary election held in Abuja, NRM national chairman, Prince Chinedu Obi Ohamadike, described Dr. Okereke as a bridge-builder capable of rescuing Nigeria from insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and economic decline.
According to him, the party’s leadership officially declared her winner of the presidential primaries and presented her with the certificate of return as the duly nominated presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement for the 2027 election.
“This certificate of return is issued in recognition of your victory at the party primaries in accordance with the constitution, guidelines, electoral regulations of the National Rescue Movement, and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act,” he said.
“On behalf of the National Executive Committee and members of the National Rescue Movement worldwide, we proudly hand over this flag of victory to our presidential candidate, Dr. Esther Nkem Okereke.”
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Okereke said she accepted the nomination as a call to national service rather than personal ambition.
“I accept this nomination not for personal gain but as a call to service. I believe with every breath in me that Nigeria shall rise again,” she declared.
She lamented the worsening hardship across the country, noting that millions of Nigerians were trapped in poverty, insecurity, unemployment, and uncertainty despite the nation’s vast resources.
“Nigeria today is battling systemic failure, corruption, selfishness, and lack of vision. For too long, politics has been reduced to a struggle for power instead of a pursuit of progress,” she said.
Dr. Okereke promised to build a nation where electricity is stable, businesses thrive, children do not go hungry, and citizens live with dignity and hope.
According to her, the NRM represents more than a political campaign, describing it as “a national rescue mission” aimed at restoring integrity, patriotism, accountability, and purposeful leadership.
She unveiled what she described as the “ESTA Agenda,” focusing on education, energy, security, technology, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and economic transformation.
Under the agenda, she pledged to declare emergency reforms in education and power supply. Invest heavily in digital learning, innovation, renewable energy, and technical skill and also strengthen security architecture and intelligence systems.
She expressed confidence that Nigeria could overcome its current challenges and reclaim its place among the leading nations of the world.
