The Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT) has pledged to mobilise more than five million votes for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 general election.
The pledge was made at the three-day Nigerian Artisans Leadership Summit at Ladi Kwali Hall, Continental Hotel, Abuja, where the association launched ‘Operation 30-30 2027,’ an initiative to mobilise at least 30 artisans per polling unit nationwide in support of the Tinubu-Shettima ticket.
ASNAT National Patron and Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations, Sanusi Garba Rikiji, said artisans contributed between 35 and 40 per cent of the votes that secured the APC’s 2023 victory, a claim not independently verified by this newspaper.
‘Operation 30-30 means mobilising 30 artisans per polling unit across each of the political wards nationwide that can influence others for Tinubu/Shettima 2027,’ Rikiji said, adding that the initiative would run through the association’s nationwide network.’
ASNAT National Coordinator, Adeshina Akinyemi, said the group would soon begin nationwide voter education and Permanent Voter Card mobilisation. Senator Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar, represented by Senator Tijjani Yahaya, described artisans as the backbone of the economy and pledged support for their welfare.