Some Tiv elders and group stakeholders in Taraba State have disassociated themselves from an announcement purportedly rejecting the composition of Governor Agbu Kefas’ 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) marketing campaign staff, describing it as unauthorised and never consultant of the collective place of the Tiv folks.
The elders made their place recognized throughout consultations carried out by Agaigbe Ola Mlahaga, the governor’s Special Assistant on Entrepreneurship, following the circulation of an announcement titled “Official Statement of Rejection of Appointments into Governor Agbu Kefas’s 2027 APC Campaign Team by the Taraba Tiv Elders Forum” on October 8, 2026.
Mlahaga, in a clarification issued to journalists in Jalingo, mentioned the elders and stakeholders he contacted individually, by means of phone conversations and face-to-face conferences, denied collaborating within the alleged deliberations or authorising anybody to talk on their behalf.
He mentioned the consultations additionally failed to determine that the purported discussion board represented the recognised collective voice of Tiv elders throughout the state.
According to him, the assertion shouldn’t be interpreted as proof that Tiv folks in Taraba State had collectively rejected Kefas and his 2027 marketing campaign staff.
Mlahaga, nevertheless, acknowledged issues amongst Tiv communities over insecurity, displacement, the safety of ancestral lands and the secure return of displaced individuals, stressing that the problems required pressing and sustained consideration.
He mentioned the elders he consulted advocated peaceable engagement and efforts to revive stability, warning towards exploiting the real issues of affected communities to create political divisions.
He added that help for peace initiatives didn’t imply all challenges had been resolved, however underscored the necessity for constructive dialogue and sensible interventions to facilitate the return of displaced households and restore their livelihoods.
On the 2027 normal election, Mlahaga urged Tiv folks to confirm political statements earlier than accepting or circulating them, warning towards permitting publications of unsure origin to affect their political selections.
He additionally referred to as on the state authorities to maintain engagement with official group representatives, noting that the Tiv folks deserved safety, justice, inclusion and sustainable growth.
Mlahaga additional claimed that the elders and stakeholders he consulted expressed their intention to help Kefas’ political aspiration and APC candidates of their respective native authorities areas within the 2027 normal election.
He clarified, nevertheless, that his assertion mirrored the result of his private consultations and shouldn’t be construed as a proper decision endorsed by each Tiv elder or group in Taraba State.
He urged Tiv elders, youths, girls and different stakeholders to stay calm, pursue their pursuits by means of peaceable engagement and keep away from statements able to deepening suspicion or undermining efforts to revive peace.
The governor’s aide maintained that the Tiv group might defend its ancestral pursuits and demand options to insecurity and displacement whereas collaborating responsibly within the state’s political course of.
