In politics, the truth is simple:
You are not truly a politician until you have absolute control of your immediate base whether it is your village, your tribe, your ward, or your Local Government Area.
That is where power begins. That is where legitimacy is tested.
Which is why Hon. Danladi Baido’s case is deeply troubling and complex.
Hon. Baido is a Wurkum man from the Piya-speaking extraction. This community is roughly 70% Muslim and 30% Christian. (I stand to be corrected) It is a delicate demographic balance. And in that space, religion has sadly become a tool for division.
From the Piya extraction of the larger Wurkum umbrella, we have produced notable names:
Hon. Danladi Baido, H.E. Sani Abubakar Danladi, H.E. Garba Umar (UTC), Sen. Zik Sunday Ambuno, Hon. Kabiru Pitiko, Sadiq Mbulo, and several others.
But let us be honest.
Among all of them, Danladi Baido is the torchbearer.
Others had their chances, yes. But for many, it was about making a name for themselves not about building the community, not about lifting the Wurkum people.
It was Danladi Baido who gave identity to the entire Wurkum umbrella. He put their name on the map of Taraba State. He put their name on the map of Nigeria.
And yet, the same community he lifted, the same people whose identity he built, have allowed religion to be used to disrespect, sideline, and diminish him.
This should concern every Wurkum-Piya sons and daughters Because if we cannot honor the man who carried our name the farthest, then we are telling the world that we do not value loyalty, sacrifice, or leadership.
A people that do not protect their torchbearer will always walk in darkness.
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