NRM nominates actress Esther Okereke as 2027 presidential candidate

Notable Nollywood actress and film producer, Esther Okereke, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement ahead of the 2027 general election, positioning herself among the opposition figures set to challenge President Bola Tinubu.

Okereke secured the party’s ticket on Friday after defeating former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Joseph Faduri, and UK-based businessman, Ademola Onigbokun, at the party’s presidential primary held in Abuja.

Her emergence places her among the few women to secure a presidential ticket in Nigeria’s democratic history, as parties begin early positioning for the 2027 election cycle.

Presenting the flag bearer to delegates, NRM National Chairman, Chinedu Obi, said the party’s mission was to offer leadership capable of addressing Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.

“For years, global reports repeatedly described Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, a title no nation should wear with comfort and no leadership should accept with resignation,” Obi said.

He added that the party remained focused on what he described as national rescue efforts amid insecurity and economic hardship.

“We remember our fellow citizens presently held captive in kidnappers’ dens, uncertain of what tomorrow may bring. We remember families displaced by terrorism, banditry, insurgency and communal conflicts, many of whom remain in Internally Displaced Persons camps across our country,” he said.

“Today, as we elect the presidential flag bearer of our party for the 2027 election, it is not just one of those gatherings of politicians. It is a march towards providing visionary and proactive leadership for a nation in dire need of rescue and proving that Nigeria can work again,” he added.

In her acceptance speech, Okereke described her nomination as a “sacred assignment” and a call to national service.

“I accept this nomination not for personal glory but as a sacred assignment. I accept it as a call to service because of my belief that Nigeria shall rise and work again,” she said.

She painted a bleak picture of Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions, citing poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and economic hardship.

“Our nation is bleeding. Millions of our people are trapped in pain, poverty, fear and uncertainty,” Okereke said.

“Families sleep in darkness in a nation overflowing with energy resources. Graduates roam the streets without jobs. Businesses collapse under the weight of economic hardship.”

She added that Nigeria was battling “systemic failure” but insisted that “beyond the suffering, there is restoration, hope and a greater Nigerian future waiting to emerge.”

Her candidacy adds to the growing list of aspirants positioning ahead of what is expected to be a highly competitive 2027 presidential election involving ruling and opposition parties.