The Coalition of Kuteb/Tiv (CKT) has replied Tiv political appointees and Tiv stakeholders in Taraba State who recently accused the coalition of opposing the government of Taraba State governor Agbu Kefas.
The coalition said the coming together of the two tribes is not a crime but a political necessity borne out of years of exclusion, repeated betrayals, and political tokenism.
In a 10-paragraph press statement in response to the press briefing recently organised by the Tiv political appointees and the Tiv stakeholders in Jalingo, Dr. Tor-Agbdye and Amb. Rikwense, the two stakeholders of the CKT said the coalition is aimed at seeking inclusion, equity, and visibility.
The group emphasises that the Kuteb/Tiv Coalition is not against Governor Kefas’ government, any political appointee, or any tribe.
“If anything, it is an act of political maturity and strategic foresight to unite historically marginalized ethnic groups—Kuteb and Tiv—so they can have a respectable voice at the table where decisions that affect the two tribes are being made. This noble cause is being misunderstood, or worse, deliberately twisted by politically jittery elements.
“The Constitution guarantees freedom of association. This includes the right to form alliances for mutual political benefit. If a Kuteb/Tiv coalition makes anyone uncomfortable, the mature response is to form a better alternative options,” the statement read.
The statement tackled the appointees for calling it the Kuteb/Tiv coalition, an Abuja-based coalition. It stated that the most consequential decisions affecting the Kuteb and Tiv people were taken in Abuja, where displaced Kuteb and Tiv leaders cried out to the federal government for more assistance.
The coalition called on the appointees to always speak the truth to power. It refuted the statement by the appointees that Internal Displaced Persons, IDPs, have returned to their ancestral homes in southern Taraba.
“As at the time of this press statement, thousands of both Tiv and Kuteb are still living in IDPs, hundreds of homes have been deserted for years, it is not a hidden truth, why the lies by people who ordinarily should be speaking for the masses?” the coalition asked.
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