Since Chief Hon. Jonathan Terlumun Akputu (JP),the a sor tar u Kwande, and the caretaker chairman of Kwande Local Government, appeared on the Kwande political scene, controversy seems to trail every political move that he makes. As a result, I wish to put the Akputu incubus to the public court and see if he is guilty as charged or innocent of all the charges against him and his brand of politics.
Hon. Akputu is not only a skilful politician who is result oriented, he has proven to be successful in his politicking. By this we mean, almost all his political schemes succeed; he always get results for his party PDP and the candidates he support; in short he is a good party man. In 1999, he organised a formidable youth group by name, Progressive Forum. Though he was yet to contest any election, but he, with the likes of Late Chief Ason Bur gave PDP a resounding victory. Hon. Denis Dzeka ,who they sponsored was retained as at against Hon. Imoter Nungwa of the APP, the party which later became ANPP. In 2003, another election year, the ANPP opposition aroused to proportionate heights and posed a serious threat for the ruling party, and strong armed youths were used by the PDP to break the opposition; giving PDP another victory and the names of some Kwande sons and daughters were mentioned to be behind the plot; Akputu’s inclusive. Eventually, when a unity government was formed between the two factions, he emerged the secretary of the council. This was compensation by the government of the day.
From being a secretary, Akputu snowballed into a co-ordinator of the Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam’s campaign in 2007. This too was a form of compensation and promotion. It was after he coordinated the campaign of Suswam and the latter won the gubernatorial election that, he launched his bid for the chairmanship slot. This was a bold political move judging from the opposition he was projected to encounter in Late Chief Ason Bur and Wantaregh Paul Unongo; the duo believed to be seriously against him. It was reported that the late Bur had said that Akputu could only win the election only over his dead body, and so it was. Still standing was only Unongo. So when Hon. Akputu defeated Bem Tseen who Unongo planned to force on the people, he had finally established his political leadership in Kwande.
Two years into his administration as an elected council chairman, in 2009, late James Adzape, Ter Kwande, during his 77th birthday celebration gave him a traditional title of the asor tar u Kwande . As if that was all, Hon. Akputu who started out as an Akume man, skilfully moved into the Suswam camp and became the first chair man to launch jingles for Suswam’s re-election and further organised an endorsement rally for him. This, we believe, endeared the governor to him. So even when it seemed unlikely for him to be retained in caretaker capacity, the Governor went ahead made him one.
So between 1999 to 2011 that Hon. Akputu has experienced a steady rise in politics, what are the unanswered issues or the controversies around him? The two governors that have ruled the state since 1999; Sen. Dr. George Akume and Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam have benefited from the political schemes and wizardry of Hon. Akputu and faithfully compensated him, yet his machievielian methods through which he implore in achieving his goals are in most cases anti- Democratic. This is the use of thugs and other forms of intimidation to coerce people into agreeing with his position. That is not what should be happening in a democracy. People should be allowed to decide what they want; they should not be forced.
Akputu’s personality hangs between the results he produces for his party and the people, who are at the receiving end of his undemocratic methods. So for his inability to uphold democratic processes in his politicking, Hon. Akputu might have been receiving steady and regular compensations and promotions for his political exploits by his party leadership, yet he is guilty in the public court as charged. And to avoid a situation similar to what happened in 2004 when people ran and left everything, Chief Hon. Terlumun Akputu will have to work on his personality in the public eye by reconsidering his political methods.
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