Labour Party’s Okereke unveils ‘Nigerians First! Believe Again!’ agenda, vows governance reforms

Labour Party 2027 presidential candidate, Dr. Chibuzo Okereke, has unveiled his “Nigerians First! Believe Again!” agenda, promising to prioritise citizens’ welfare, strengthen national security, reform public institutions and rebuild confidence in government if elected president. 

Speaking during his acceptance of the party’s presidential nomination, Okereke said his vision represents “a fundamental philosophical shift” in governance, arguing that governments should focus on developing citizens rather than merely preserving political power. 

“Our Nigerians First Vision offers a fundamental philosophical shift in our theory of nationhood and focuses on developing Nigerians, securing Nigerians, expanding socio-economic opportunities, restoring the dignity of our people, building trust among citizens and investing in the Sustainable Development Goals. We are convinced that when Nigerians prosper, Nigeria prospers,” he said. 

According to him, governance, rather than politics, would define his administration. 

“Our Presidency will put People and Governance First before Politics. We understand that politics is not the purpose of government, governance is the real purpose of government. Nigerian citizens will become partners in nation-building rather than spectators,” he added. 

Okereke affirmed that his administration would implement a “Nigerians First Great Reset National Recovery Blueprint” anchored on key priorities: national security and peace building, economic stabilisation, food security and productive growth, education, healthcare and human capital development, institutional reforms and good governance and national unity, social cohesion and physical discipline. 

On security, he pledged to rebuild the armed forces and adopt what he described as a whole-of-society approach to restoring peace. “Our goal is clear, restore public confidence that the Nigerian State is capable of protecting lives and property across every part of the federation. We will rebuild our military and restore the pride and glory of our land,” he said. 

On the economy, the Labour Party presidential candidate promised to decentralise Nigeria’s power sector, improve infrastructure and create an enabling environment for investment.

“The national power grid will be completely democratised and decentralised. We will sit with individual states and zones, not to discuss politics, but to implement strategic investments based on their areas of resource competence and competitive advantage we would intentionally invest in the financial and servuces sector in the south west, manufacturing innovation trade and investment in the south east, driving economic development of the blue economy costa, aquaculture and tourism in the south south, driving agriculture food production and food security in the north,” he stated. 

He also pledged to prioritise education, healthcare and youth development, saying Nigeria’s future depends on investing in its people. 

“Our administration will prioritise foundational education, technical skills, digital literacy, research capacity and curriculum reforms aligned with modern economic realities. We must prepare Nigerian youths not merely to seek jobs, but to create value within a globally competitive economy,” Okereke said. 

On governance, he proposed far-reaching institutional reforms, including the introduction of Zero-Based Budgeting, stronger fiscal and procurement laws, digitisation of public services and the establishment of agencies like the military Nigeria Government Accountability Offices in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to be manned by officers from the ICPC and EFCC. 

He also proposed repealing the Acts establishing the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) transferring their responsibilities and funding to local governments. 

Okereke further announced plans to make the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) optional for most graduates, except those in STEM and a few other disciplines. 

“The NYSC Scheme will be made optional. All other graduates will undertake a three-month National Community Development Project and, upon completion, receive their NYSC discharge certificate. This will save Nigeria billions of naira,” he said. 

The Labour Party flag bearer also promised merit-based recruitment into public service, saying vacancies in MDAs would be publicly advertised to ensure fairness and transparency.

Addressing national unity, he proposed a National Day of Peace and Forgiveness to promote reconciliation and pledged to strengthen programmes that foster integration across ethnic, religious and regional divides. 

Explaining the inspiration behind his campaign slogan, Okereke said Nigeria was facing not only economic and security challenges but also “a crisis of confidence.” 

“The truth is that millions of Nigerians no longer believe in the promise of this land. Millions no longer believe that government can work, institutions can be trusted, merit can prevail, or that the future can be better than the past,” he said. 

He added: “Our ‘Believe Again’ mantra is therefore not merely a campaign appeal; it is a stirring call for national renewal through responsible government actions.” 

Okereke is a distinguished governace, policy expert, strategist who holds a doctorate degree, Ph.D in legislative governace studies from Federal University lokoja, he also holds a master’s degree with distinction in public adminstration and policy from Baze University, Abuja. 

He also holds a master’s degree with distinction in Legislative governamce studies from the University of Benin. 

In addition, he holds a degree in Accounting measuring in audit and investigation from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) where he also served as a student union president and he is currently pursuing a second doctorate degree in public policy from Veritas University, Abuja. 

He has served in various legislative technical support roles at the National Assembly, notably his technical support work and consultancy with the public account comittee led to the recovery of over 300 billion of government revenue from agencies and private sector. 

He also founded organisations including the Erudite Growth and Advancement Foundation (ErGAF-AFRICA), Project Hope Alive Africa and the National Political Equity Movement (N-PEM). Through the ErGAF-AFRICA Project Hope Alive Initiative, he has supported more than 10,000 schoolchildren with educational materials and other interventions.

Labour Party’s Okereke unveils ‘Nigerians First! Believe Again!’ agenda, vows governance reforms