The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has chosen actress and producer Esther Okereke as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, handing the entertainer a surprise entry into Nigeria’s fiercely contested political landscape.
Okereke emerged through consensus on Friday at the party’s presidential primary in Abuja after becoming the only aspirant to clear the NRM’s screening process.
Announcing the outcome, the party’s national chairman, Chinedu Obi, said the exercise reflected the party’s commitment to internal democracy, even though some aspirants failed to meet the required standards.
“While some aspirants could not satisfy the requirements of our screening process, their participation strengthened our democratic culture and internal processes,” Obi said. “We appreciate the interest of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora in rebuilding the nation.”
Accepting the nomination, Okereke unveiled an ambitious agenda centred on education, security, energy, economic revival, healthcare, technology, housing, transparency and job creation.
She said her vision goes beyond winning power, describing the NRM as a platform pushing for generational change, ethical leadership and institutional reform.
“The NRM positions itself as a generational vanguard,” she said. “By mobilising young people, promoting ethical leadership and advocating structural re-engineering, we seek to move Nigeria from survival to sustainable development.”
Okereke added that genuine national transformation would require a new governance culture anchored on accountability, equity, gender balance and long-term development.
