Tiv declare support for PDP guber candidate in Taraba

TIV community in Taraba State has declared support for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Lt-Col. Kefas Agbu (rtd).

Led by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Bridget Twar, Tiv stakeholders in the state made this known yesterday when they visited Agbu in his Jalingo residence.

Twar said they were in the candidate’s abode to support him and seek his assistance to facilitate the return of displaced Tiv people in Taraba to their ancestral homes.

She said the return of displaced Tiv people, especially in Wukari Local Council, would enhance participatory democracy in next year’s polls.

President General of Tiv Cultural and Social Association, Taraba State, Joshua Ayagwa, assured the PDP flagbearer of their votes from Takum, Ibi, Wukari, Gassol, Donga and Bali local councils.

Ayagwa emphasised that Tiv’s support for Agbu would be massive when their people, who were displaced during the Jukun/Tiv crisis, return to their ancestral homes.

“It is when they are back to their ancestral homes that we will be talking to them with confidence on the side of peace and support for your governorship ambition.

“At the moment, I have to go to Jortar and Kyado in Benue State to meet them, which is not a comfortable arrangement for such a political engagement,” he stated.

The PG expressed confidence in the PDP candidate steering Taraba well, while uniting the divergent interests of the heterogeneous ethnic groups.

In his response, Agbu raised the Tiv’s hope for a peaceful and prosperous future in Taraba, promising to bring on board policies and programmes that would speed up development.

The retired military officer, who was chairman of PDP and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said he was delighted with the visit, describing it as a family affair.

Asserting that the Jukun and Tiv people are one, he wondered why conflicts between the two close-knit ethnic groups defied lasting solution.

He described himself as an apostle of peace and justice and vowed to ensure justice for all manners of peoples in Taraba, irrespective of religion, tribe and region, if elected.

On resettling the displaced Tiv people, particularly in Wukari, Agbu said: “It is a serious issue that must be approached with tact and caution, bearing in mind that the crisis has lingered on for many generations.

“Resettling the Tiv of Taraba as well as any displaced person in the state is a task that must be done; but we have to approach it with caution. If we ask the displaced persons to come back now without putting certain things in place, we might be putting their lives at risk.”