•NRM candidate wants China-style punishment for corrupt officials
NIGERIA: The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Esther Okereke, has said she would seek to make corruption punishable by death if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Okereke made the declaration during an interview on African Independent Television’s (AIT) Democracy Today programme, where she outlined what she described as a tougher approach to combating corruption, which she said had become deeply entrenched in Nigeria’s political system.
The NRM candidate said Nigeria could borrow from China’s approach to dealing with corruption, arguing that the prospect of the ultimate punishment would serve as a strong deterrent to public officials contemplating the diversion of public resources.
Her position emerged during a discussion on how she would confront corruption and resistance from individuals who, according to her, deliberately frustrate efforts to reform the system.
“Like I said, fighting corruption, there is sabotage. People that feel like, if I can’t do it, I won’t allow somebody else to do it,” Okereke said.
She then suggested that Nigeria could adopt the Chinese system of dealing with corruption.
When the interviewer sought clarification on whether she meant executing corrupt officials, Okereke replied, “If you put it that way.”
Asked whether she would specifically push for the death sentence as punishment for corruption, she maintained that people who knowingly engage in corruption should be prepared to face the consequences.
“So, why would you want to do that when you already know the penalty?” she asked.
“If you are leaving the house, your children will beg you, please daddy, please mummy, do not indulge in corruption,” she added.
When pressed on whether she would introduce the death sentence for corruption as president, Okereke responded: “Would you want to continue corruption?”
“If you want to continue corruption, then fine, continue. The sentence is waiting for you, the penalty is waiting for you,” she said.
‘Start from the head’
Okereke also identified state governors and other political leaders as a major starting point in any serious campaign against corruption.
She questioned the recurring argument over whether funds controlled by state governments should be regarded as state or federal resources, particularly when citizens continue to suffer from poor infrastructure and inadequate public services.
The interviewer pointed to the existence of federal anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), but noted the enormous political influence wielded by governors in their respective states.
In response, Okereke argued that the fight against corruption must begin at the top.
“It is as simple as that. You start from the head; you know where the corruption is coming from. Just start from there,” she said.
She questioned why governors and other public officials should claim ownership of government resources when such funds are ultimately meant to serve citizens.
“Because when the states say, it is our money, does the federal government not put the states in the budget?” she asked.
The NRM candidate insisted that public resources belong to the people and should therefore be deployed for their benefit rather than treated as the personal preserve of political office holders.
“Because I don’t understand how it is your money and then you pocket it and then the people are suffering.
“No, it is not your money. It is the people’s money. The people own it. Use it for them,” she said.
‘Basic amenities are citizens’ rights’
Okereke also linked corruption to the failure of governments to provide basic infrastructure and social services, arguing that access to such facilities should not be presented as a favour by those in government.
“These basic amenities that we are talking about, it is not charity. It is their right. It is the citizens’ right. And it is you and I’s right,” she said.
“When we have something that belongs to all of us, why would one person just hijack it?”
She said her proposed anti-corruption campaign would therefore go beyond prosecuting individuals after public funds had been stolen, insisting that the government must first create systems capable of preventing abuse and ensuring accountability.
“But first of all, before you fight corruption, make it right,” Okereke said.
Death penalty would require legal change
Under Nigeria’s existing legal framework, capital punishment is constitutionally recognised in certain circumstances, but corruption is not generally a capital offence under the country’s principal anti-corruption statutes.
The National Human Rights Commission has noted that Section 33(1) of the 1999 Constitution recognises the death penalty where it follows a court sentence, while also expressing concerns about its deterrent value and Nigeria’s justice-system challenges.
Existing anti-corruption legislation provides various penalties for offences prosecuted by agencies such as the ICPC, including imprisonment and fines. For example, the ICPC has reported cases in which persons convicted of corruption-related offences received prison sentences and restitution orders.
Consequently, implementing Okereke’s proposal would require legislative action to create or designate relevant corruption offences as capital offences, alongside the necessary legal and constitutional processes.
The proposal is not without precedent in Nigeria’s public debate. Calls for capital punishment for corruption have been made by some academics and public figures over the years, while lawyers and human-rights advocates have also questioned whether execution would effectively deter corruption or address weaknesses in investigation, prosecution and recovery of stolen assets.
Okereke’s wider 2027 agenda
Okereke emerged as the NRM’s presidential candidate at the party’s 2027 convention and primary in Abuja in May. The party has presented her candidacy as part of its broader campaign to tackle insecurity, poverty, unemployment, weak institutions and poor governance.
At the inauguration of the NRM Presidential Campaign Council in September, Okereke said her campaign would focus on structure, evidence, peace and adherence to the law.
She also said the party was seeking to move Nigerian politics away from what she described as a struggle for power towards a system focused on prosperity and measurable development.
Her latest proposal for capital punishment for corruption now places a particularly severe anti-graft measure at the centre of her campaign message as the 2027 presidential contest gathers momentum.
For Okereke, however, punishment alone is not enough. Her argument is that government must first establish systems that ensure public resources are properly managed, basic services reach citizens and those entrusted with public funds can be held accountable.
The NRM candidate’s position therefore combines a call for tougher sanctions with a broader demand for institutional reform, beginning, in her words, “from the head.”
