2027: NRM Inaugurates 38-member Presidential Campaign Council, Unveils Agenda

The National Rescue Movement (NRM) has inaugurated a 38-member Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 general elections with Muhammad Garba as the Director-General of the council.
Dr Esther Okereke, the NRM presidential with Nasir Muhammed as running mate and Mrs Ada Okwori, the presidential candidate of National Democratic Party (NDP), are the two female presidential candidates for the 2027 elections.
NRM National Chairman, Prince Chinedu Obi who performed the inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja, described the ceremony as the formal rollout of a fundamental proposition that “Nigeria can work again” through institutional reforms.
Obi said that Nigeria possessed extraordinary advantages including a large, youthful population, vast agricultural potential, natural resources and entrepreneurial citizens, to achieve sustainable growth.
He said the NRM believed that converting those advantages into broad-based prosperity requires functional institutions, leadership systems, processes and accountability mechanisms.
“Our governing philosophy is anchored on the rule of law for peace, productivity and shared prosperity.
“The rule of law is the operating system of a functional state where the law is predictable, citizens can plan, businesses can invest, contracts are enforceable and public officials are accountable,” Obi said.
The national chairman also unveiled the “NRM policy engagement for a new Nigeria’’ centered around six principal pillars, which he described as the “Esther Rescue Nigeria Agenda.’’
Obi said that the pillars which were summarised in the 24 pillars of the NRM blueprint provided a framework for addressing major areas of Nigeria’s developmental deficit.
He listed the policy focus areas to include; strengthening public-sector accountability, enforcing due process, improving transparency and setting measurable performance standards across government.
He said that the policy also focused on productive economy and employment, human capital development through prioritising quality education geared toward technical competence; accessible, affordable and preventive healthcare.
Others pillars according to him were security, justice and national cohesion; delivering reliable power, modern transportation, housing and digital connectivity integrated with environmental sustainability.
“The sixth pillar situates that the Nigeria of the future cannot be built exclusively around the economic structures of the past. We must develop the capacity to compete in a global knowledge economy.
“That requires investment in science, technology, research, innovation, digital infrastructure, technical and vocational education and entrepreneurship,’’ he said.
Obi also noted that while an NRM administration would enforce zero tolerance for corruption, adequate attention would be given to women and youth who constitute a substantial proportion of Nigeria’s population.
“This is why the NRM has deliberately chosen a presidential ticket consisting of a woman and a younger professional.
“The decision to nominate Okereke as Presidential Candidate and Muhammed as Vice-Presidential Candidate is therefore intended to communicate more than demographic representation.
“It reflects the importance we attach to competence, professional capacity, integrity, character, inclusion and generational renewal,’’ he said.
In her address, the NRM presidential candidate, Okereke, said that the campaign council represented the “Rescue Team of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
“Nigeria needs rescue from darkness, hunger, insecurity and joblessness.
“The NRM is that rescue. Our principles are clear: legality, constitutionalism, accountability, transparency, unity, peaceful participation and the rule of law for peace,’’ she said.
Okereke said that for too long, politics in Nigeria had been about sharing power, adding that for NRM, politics would be about sharing prosperity.
“For too long, campaigns have been about noise. Our campaign will be about structure, evidence, and peace,” she said.
She directed all campaign officials to adhere strictly to a single chain of command saying “no unauthorised statements, no parallel commands.”
Okereke also tasked members of the campaign council on code of conduct built on non-violence, respect and financial integrity, saying “we will not intimidate, we will not harass. We will not bully. We will rescue, rebuild and restore.”
Director General of the Campaign council, Garba, called on Nigerians, especially the youth to rise above political party lines and embrace a national rescue agenda centered on placing the country’s progress above partisan loyalty.
Garba also cautioned them against remaining passive spectators in the governance of the country, noting that the youth constitute the vast majority of the electorate and possess the energy and fresh ideas required to deliver effective governance.
He described the council as a movement driven by a collective commitment to national interest, unity and development.
“Our strategy is simple: put Nigeria first as a priority. Our movement will build across a principle that calls on Nigerians to look beyond political boundaries and place the interest, future and well-being of Nigerians as a priority in their political choices,” he said.