Nollywood actress and film producer Esther Nkem Okereke has emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) for the 2027 general election, becoming one of the earliest contenders to formally secure a presidential ticket ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested race.
Okereke’s emergence was confirmed on Friday during the party’s presidential primary in Abuja, where party leaders endorsed her candidacy following internal consultations that culminated in a consensus arrangement. Her nomination places her among the few women in Nigeria’s democratic history to secure a presidential ticket from a registered political party.
The development marks a significant moment for the relatively smaller opposition platform as political parties begin positioning for the 2027 presidential election, where President Bola Tinubu is widely expected to seek a second term.
Presenting Okereke as the party’s standard-bearer, NRM National Chairman, Prince Chinedu Obi, said the party was determined to provide visionary leadership capable of addressing Nigeria’s worsening economic and security challenges.
According to Obi, Nigeria possesses enormous human and natural resources but has failed to translate its potential into widespread prosperity.
“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,” he said.
The NRM chairman said the party’s “Rescue Nigeria” agenda would focus on rebuilding critical sectors, strengthening education, improving healthcare delivery and restoring public confidence in governance.
He also cited insecurity, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and the growing number of displaced citizens as evidence that urgent leadership intervention is required.
“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,” Obi said.
He added that the presidential primary represented more than a routine political exercise.
“Today 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.”
In her acceptance speech, Okereke described her emergence as a call to national service rather than a personal achievement.
“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.
The actress-turned-politician painted a grim picture of Nigeria’s current realities, pointing to rising poverty, unemployment, insecurity and economic hardship.
“Our nation is bleeding. Millions of our people are trapped in pain, poverty, fear and uncertainty,” she declared.
“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.”
Okereke argued that Nigeria’s challenges stem from years of poor governance and institutional decline but insisted the country could still reverse its trajectory through purposeful leadership and structural reforms.
She said the NRM’s ideology aligns with her vision of national renewal, youth empowerment and ethical leadership.
“I deliberately chose the NRM because it was established to confront and rectify the systemic crises of governance in Nigeria,” she said.
Political observers note that while the NRM remains a smaller political platform compared to the APC, PDP and Labour Party, Okereke’s celebrity status and emergence as a female presidential candidate could attract public attention as conversations around the 2027 election begin to gather momentum.
Her candidacy adds to the growing list of politicians and public figures positioning themselves ahead of the next electoral cycle, setting the stage for what could become one of Nigeria’s most competitive presidential contests in recent years.
