The Artisans Welfare Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd., Aba, has endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Abia State in 2027, Dr. Kelechi Anosike, pledging to mobilise more than 20,000 voters across the state’s 17 local government areas.
Accepting the endorsement, Anosike said artisans constitute the backbone of Abia’s economy and deserve support to turn their skills into wealth, create jobs and move their businesses from survival to prosperity.
The cooperative, which has about 20,000 members across 16 industrial clusters, announced its endorsement through its president, Hon. Coach Ndukauba Christian Iheonunekwu, who promised that members would work for Anosike in polling units across the state.
Anosike described the endorsement as a call to service and a demand to place the welfare of ordinary working people at the centre of governance.
“What would happen to our economy if artisans stopped working for just one week?”
He said the contributions of shoemakers, furniture makers, garment makers, welders, mechanics and builders, alongside traders and farmers, were indispensable to the economy, yet many continued to struggle with inadequate capital, rising material costs and limited access to modern equipment.
Other challenges, he said, included unaffordable credit, unstable electricity, inadequate workspaces and insufficient social protection.
Anosike said his approach to governance would combine infrastructure development with investment in people, stressing that roads and markets must translate into better livelihoods for those who use them.
He pledged to explore accessible financing, equipment-support programmes and business development services through legitimate financial institutions and development partners to help artisans grow sustainable enterprises.
“Our artisans do more than provide services. They train the next generation. Every apprentice learning to weld, sew garments, repair vehicles or make shoes represents a potential business owner and employer of labour.”
He promised to modernise technical skills and promote vocational training as a route to financial independence, while working with cluster leaders to identify the specific needs of their members.
The proposed engagement, he said, would cover shoemakers, bag and belt manufacturers, furniture makers, garment and cap makers, chemical producers, traders, poultry and fish farmers, spare parts dealers, mechanics, builders and welders.
Anosike urged the cooperative to maintain transparent records and proper financial accounts, and develop a comprehensive database detailing members’ skills, business locations and financing needs.
Such records, he said, would help government design support programmes based on actual needs rather than assumptions.
Iheonunekwu appealed for empowerment, campaign mobility and political working materials as the cooperative prepared to mobilise support for the candidate.
Anosike assured members that they would have a voice in decision-making under his administration, saying his guiding philosophy remained “Build Infrastructure, Build People, Build Wealth,” anchored on “Service, Welfare, Progress.”