The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Dr Esther Okereke, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protect the power of the ballot and ensure that Nigerians’ votes determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja, Okereke also expressed confidence in her ability to compete against prominent presidential contenders, arguing that leadership should be judged by competence, accountability and a clear programme for governance.
Her message connected electoral credibility with political competition: citizens must be free to choose, candidates must be free to campaign, and electoral institutions must protect the integrity of that choice.
“Now please, INEC, make their vote count. Let it count,” she said.
“We talk about accountability. It starts with INEC.”
Protecting the power of the PVC
Okereke urged the commission to uphold the confidence Nigerians place in their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), describing that trust as a responsibility electoral authorities must honour.
“They have given value to the PVC. It should remain valued,” she said.
“They have given dignity to the PVC. They have made everybody know that, yes, their votes count, that their PVC is their power.”
For Okereke, voter mobilisation must be matched by an electoral process that respects the decisions citizens make at the polls.
“Everybody believes, and their hope is on this PVC. Please let it count,” she said.
Her appeal combined an expectation of institutional accountability with confidence that the commission could deliver a credible election.
“I know you would, because you believe in the rule of law,” she said.
The call reflects a central principle of the NRM’s rescue mission: accountable government begins with a credible process through which citizens choose their leaders.
“No intimidation, no bullying”
Okereke also called for respect for the commitments contained in the peace accord she said candidates had signed, stressing that peaceful elections require freedom to campaign across the country.
“No intimidation, no bullying, no insulting,” she said.
“Freedom of campaign, freedom of location, freedom of movement.”
She maintained that every candidate should have the opportunity to present a programme to voters, regardless of the political strength of opponents in a particular state or community.
“If I want to go to anywhere in Nigeria to campaign, I should be allowed,” she said.
“If you are not intimidated or you are not scared of this particular candidate winning, allow that candidate to come and campaign.”
Her position places open competition at the centre of democratic participation. Voters should be able to hear competing ideas, question candidates and make their choices without coercion.
For the NRM, access to communities is also an opportunity to explain its proposals for security, economic recovery, public services and accountable leadership directly to the people.
Support for women seeking public office
Addressing the financial barriers facing women in politics, Okereke appealed to INEC to consider financial support for female candidates contesting different offices.
“I was hoping that INEC would at least give a little financial support to the female candidates that are running for different offices,” she said.
“We still plead for your support, your financial support to the women candidates.”
She identified the high cost of elections as a challenge to women’s participation. Her appeal highlighted the resources required to organise campaigns, reach communities and compete for public attention.
Alongside her call for freedom from intimidation, the proposal draws attention to the practical barriers that can prevent capable women from seeking leadership positions.
NRM is “small but mighty”
Asked about competing against established political platforms and prominent contenders, Okereke rejected the suggestion that party size should define the limits of her ambition.
“Yes, NRM, like you said, is small but mighty,” she said.
She argued that candidates can expand a party’s visibility and influence through the strength of their message, public engagement and leadership.
“It is the candidate that makes the party,” she said.
Drawing on the relationship between prominent candidates and the public profiles of their parties, Okereke expressed confidence that her campaign could similarly strengthen national recognition of the NRM.
Her argument was that political credibility must be earned through the quality of leadership offered and the substance of the programme presented to Nigerians.
“Don’t forget, I am a humanitarian in politics,” she said.
“We are here to produce and feed”
Explaining her identification with the NRM, Okereke pointed to the party’s bee symbol as an expression of productivity and service.
“We are here to produce and feed, not to devour and eat,” she said.
The statement captured her vision of politics as a means of creating public value: expanding opportunity, supporting livelihoods and putting national resources to productive use.
It also connects with the NRM’s wider rescue agenda and her ESTHER framework, which place economic recovery, enterprise, employment, essential services and accountability at the centre of governance.
The bee analogy gives that programme a direct message: leadership should contribute to the wellbeing of the people it serves.
Confidence in grassroots organisation
Okereke also challenged the perception that the NRM lacks an organisational foundation.
She said the party had coordinators and structures reaching from polling units and wards to constituencies and states, supported by a system for communicating across its network.
“We have our structure too,” she said.
“We are well structured.”
Describing the importance of coordination, she added: “Our mode of communication is simple.”
Her account presented grassroots organisation and information sharing as important parts of the party’s effort to bring its message to voters.
The campaign’s task is to translate that network into sustained public engagement—explaining its policies, listening to communities and building support for its proposed direction.
“Vote competency. Vote accountability.”
Okereke concluded with an appeal for Nigerians to assess candidates beyond gender, ethnicity, religion or political labels.
“Do not vote gender. Do not vote party. Do not vote tribe or religion or colour,” she said.
“Vote competency. Vote accountability.”
For the NRM presidential candidate, that is the test the 2027 contest should meet: a fair opportunity to present competing programmes, a peaceful environment in which citizens can choose and an electoral process that faithfully records their decision.
Her demand to INEC remained direct:
“Make their vote count. Let it count.”
Watch the video interview:
- 2027: I came with plans to rescue Nigeria - NRM presidential candidate, Okereke
- 2 females in presidential ballot, highlights challenges facing Nigerian women in politics - Okereke
- 2027: NRM presidential candidate urges INEC to give financial support to female candidates
- 2027: I'm not intimidated by Tinubu, Atiku, Obi - NRM Presidential Candidate
