The game of politics, especially in the African context, is considered by many including active players as a dirty affair due to its intricacies and in most cases, its association with hypocrisy, insincerity, dishonesty and other vices.

The political history of Nigeria before independence had taught us not to trust other players within the same political party and to keep a distance from the opposition no matter how good and experienced they may be.

In Bauchi state, there were few instances of such betrayal. In 1999, when Ahmadu Adamu Mu'azu became the third civilian governor of Bauchi State, lucky enough for him, no single politician within the state could lay any claim to be his godfather since it was through a collective effort and the determination of new breed politicians in the state that he emerged victorious.

He was firm and courageous though he stepped on several toes who are yet to forgive him within the PDP and other political parties. Mu'azu had to force so many self-appointed political lords into political oblivion while some were rendered impotent within the political system. As part of the strategy to stabilize the polity, he appointed technocrats as members of the state executive council and was in full control of the administration. He never took dictation or directive from any tin god anywhere on how to administer state affairs.

As an experienced person, he took time to study the intricacies of power before aspiring to be a governor, having suffered several defeats in the past. He supported the appointments or nominated persons of proven integrity as representatives of the state at the federal level. The first nomination supported by Mu'azu was that of Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kirfi as minister and later on the request of the presidency within six months from the appointment, Kirfi was tactfully replaced by Malam Isa Yuguda as minister of state in the Federal Ministry of Transport. Other nominations made by Mu'azu include: Architect Jumba, Dr. Toro and Adamu Aliyu as ambassadors. Barrister Habibu Aliyu was later appointed as Minister to replace Yuguda and Dr. Ibrahim Yakubu Lame as senior special assistant to the president on narcotics and other related crimes.

Apart from those appointments, Mu'azu also paved a smooth path for other sons and daughters of the state to attain high positions within the federal civil service with the hope of joining hands together to develop the state.

Alas! To be fair to all those who enjoyed Mu'azu's patronage or nomination and support, only few justified the confidence reposed in them. Malam Isa Yuguda did his best to represent the state in the federal cabinet. Jumba, Toro and Aliyu who were in the foreign Service were far away from the state but that did not deny them the use of their positions to contribute to the development of the state if they had wanted; or at least, they could have used their positions to connect the state to investors and the like. Late Ambassador Balarabe Tafawa Balewa brought pride and glory to the state during his stay in the foreign service. It was he who brought in Steyr Automobile Nigeria and requested the then military Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo to locate the assembly plant in Bauchi and several other projects from the international community that were brought to Bauchi through the influence of Balarabe. Jumba was in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) and overseeing the Kingdom of Kuwait, but no single investor was brought to Bauchi through his efforts. Adamu Aliyu was in Japan, he represented Nigeria in the global industrial giant without a single Japanese investment through his connection to Bauchi State. Bappah Lawal Toro was in Portugal and ended his tenure without a single Portuguese investment seen in Bauchi throughout his career as an ambassador. When Yuguda was in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Bauchi was among the benefiting states for dry inland container terminal and the North-East Bauchi zonal office of the Nigeria Railway Corporation was renovated and repositioned, while efforts were made to actualize the construction of the abandoned Bauchi international airport.

Another illustrious son who contributed to the development of the state through service delivery is Mahmoud Yayale Ahmed, incumbent Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). At the state level, there were those who were appointed by Mu'azu to various positions of trust based on their wealth of experience, exposure and qualification but ended up enriching themselves against the wish of the majority. In fact, some of them are part of the PDP problem in the state today that should be adequately addressed if the national leadership of the party is truly interested in the future success of the party. There are also those who served diligently but are yet to be compensated for their various contributions to the stability of the PDP, democracy and the state. In this group falls, Muhammed Nadada Umar, a one time Secretary to the State Government (1999 - 2007) and Bauchi PDP 2007 gubernatorial candidate. Nadada Umar deserves compensation at least for his unalloyed loyalty to the PDP. He contested the 2007 gubernatorial election with an open mind and when his defeat was announced by INEC, he accepted it in good faith and rushed to congratulate Yuguda.

When the PDP headed to the state election tribunal to challenge Nadada's defeat by Yuguda, Nadada opted out of the plan and preferred to return to his residence to lick his wound than engage his friend in another political bout.

When ambassadorial nominees were submitted to the presidency, his name was either omitted or removed but he remained silent and refused to bother himself to visit the living rooms of political godfathers to lobby for consideration by the presidency.

Today, the zone he hails from in Bauchi state, has only the Secretary to the State Government in Yuguda's administration as the highest position in the zone, while Bauchi south has the Governor, an ambassador, special assistant to the president on national assembly matters and other mouth-watering political positions.

Bauchi north has the state Deputy Governor, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly and by implication, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and several other lucrative positions within the state and federal service.

As stated earlier, it was Nadada's refusal to support any case against the ANPP victory that restored sanity in the polity, allowing a breathing space, a level playing field and several political appointments by the Yuguda administration.

Within the PDP in Bauchi State today, excluding the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, no single individual card-carrying member can claim to have the wherewithal to faceYuguda head-on in any political contest now or in the near future. The PDP relegated itself to the third fiddle in the state for reasons of hatred, envy and blackmail of its potential saviours with Yuguda as a victim. The same expensive mistake should be avoided if its lost glory is to be restored.

It is time for the PDP to learn from the Yuguda magic, which fought the power of incumbency through an intensive grassroots mobilization and awareness in 2007. During the gubernatorial campaign, Yuguda was seen by many as a joker but as a determined politician, he forged ahead, supported his ambition, improved the chances of his new party (ANPP) and defeated the PDP. This time around, as said by Yuguda, "partisan politics is over, we should join hands together to develop Bauchi State.

Muhammad is a one-time editor of Bauchi State-owned newspaper, The Trumpeter.