There is something about Pantami: Power, piety, and the politics of Gombe State

Last weekend, at the wedding ceremony of my friend’s son, a professor at ATBU, Bauchi State, the conversations that drifted between greetings, laughter, and shared meals revealed something deeper than social pleasantries. As is often the case in Northern Nigeria, politics, religion, and the future of leadership quietly took center stage. One name repeatedly surfaced with unusual intensity: Professor Isa Ali Pantami. Among peers, academics, clerics, and professionals, a striking phrase kept returning—Pantami is becoming the crown prince of both Northern Nigerian politics and Islamic religious leadership. Such a description is neither casual nor accidental. It reflects a growing sense that Pantami occupies a rare and powerful intersection in Northern Nigeria’s public life. This position is difficult to define, easy to admire, and impossible to ignore.

Pantami is not a conventional politician. He is first a professor of computing and cybersecurity, a field that places him firmly in the future rather than the past. He is also an Islamic scholar, trained in classical religious learning and deeply rooted in preaching, moral instruction, and spiritual authority. Perhaps, he is one of the very few people who could easily supervise a PhD in cybersecurity, explain the meaning of hallucination in artificial intelligence, and put to rest the divisive question of whether the Prophet Muhammad was born circumcised. Finally, he is a seasoned public office holder, having served as Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy during a critical period of national digital transformation. Each of these identities alone is demanding. Combined in one person, they create a figure who resists simple characterisation. Pantami is not fully a technocrat, not merely a cleric, and not a career politician. He is something more hybrid—and that hybridity is precisely what generates both fascination and caution. In engineering, we call such a hybrid an alloy – an amalgam of different qualities bundled together. Iron alone is malleable and ductile. Add to it some carbon, it becomes rigid steel. Sprinkle a couple of other materials, and it becomes stainless steel.

Pantami’s recent record is stainless, leaving a quiet impact and lasting footprints. His ministerial tenure left behind tangible markers. Nigeria’s digital economy became more visible in national planning; broadband penetration expanded; ICT contributions to GDP gained policy recognition; digital skills and cybersecurity moved closer to the center of governance discourse. These achievements were not theatrical, but they were structural. This is exactly the kind of impact that often goes unnoticed until it is absent. Since leaving office, Pantami has avoided the noisy restlessness that characterises many former ministers. Instead, he has returned to academia, policy engagement, youth mentoring, religious teaching, and intellectual reflection. This restraint has strengthened his image among admirers: a man seemingly uninterested in power for its own sake, yet clearly comfortable with influence.

The title of this article was inspired by a movie I watched in 1999, “There’s Something About Mary”. I compare Pantami to Mary, the central figure in the movie. Mary is not powerful because she seeks attention; she is powerful because attention gravitates toward her. People project their hopes, ideals, and ambitions onto her. She becomes a mirror in which others see what they desire – love, goodness, stability, meaning. Pantami occupies a similar symbolic space in Northern Nigeria today. Different groups see different things in him: (i) the youth see competence, global relevance, and modernity. (ii) the religious community sees scholarship, moral clarity, and authenticity. (iii) the political class sees discipline, popularity, and electoral potential. Recall the different opposition political groups that visited him recently. And (iv) the technocratic elite sees credibility and intellectual seriousness. Like Mary, Pantami does not loudly announce what he represents; instead, society assigns meaning to him. And therein lies both his strength and his risk. When a figure carries too many expectations, disappointment can follow if clarity does not arrive early enough.

This brings me to Gombe 2027, where I see hope, mass anticipation, and the need for precision. I conducted an unscientific focus group discussion, and one thing is categorically clear: in Gombe State, anticipation is real. Many enthusiastically look forward to Pantami’s possible entry into the 2027 governorship race. He is widely seen as a son of the soil who has succeeded without losing his cultural and religious grounding. For a state seeking economic relevance, youth employment, digital inclusion, and credible governance, Pantami appears—at least on paper—exceptionally well suited.

Yet, we must face reality as it is; not as we want it to be. Cautious support is essential. “We” refers to Pantami, his disciples, supporters, well-wishers, and indeed all enthusiasts of Pantamism – a nascent movement rooted in Islamic scholarship and using the modern knowledge and tools for youth empowerment and general societal development. It is a practical and actionable translation of “wa aiddu lahum” and “ribā al-khayl”. Caution is necessary because governance is not scholarship, and leadership is not symbolism. A successful governorship requires: (i) clear economic and agricultural strategies tailored to Gombe’s realities. (ii) a political structure that accommodates diversity, compromise, and dissent. (iii) an ability to translate personal integrity into institutional accountability. And, (iv) emotional intelligence to manage local power dynamics, not just national ideas. We must therefore resist the temptation of romantic projection. He must be allowed—and encouraged—to define himself clearly as a political actor, not merely as a revered figure. For a successful political career, at least three elements are required: (i) a clear message, (ii) a well-oiled, sustainable structure and (iii) a believable candidate or godfather.

Therefore, to call Pantami a “crown prince” is to acknowledge promise, not coronation. History—especially in Northern Nigeria—is filled with brilliant minds who struggled when theory met the messy realities of politics. There is no space here to evaluate case studies of, for example, Lawan Assalamu Alaikum, Ibrahim Shekarau, Nasir El-Rufai, and Hyacinth Alia. Pantami’s strength lies in his restraint, his intellect, and his moral seriousness. His challenge will be to convert these into inclusive, practical, and locally grounded governance.

There is something about Pantami—undeniably so. But fascination must mature into scrutiny, and admiration into thoughtful engagement. If he chooses to run in 2027, he deserves positive support—not blind loyalty. Gombe State, like Mary in the movie, deserves not just attention, but sincerity, consistency, and long-term commitment and economic development. The masses need a clear message. For example, how can the large cassava production in the Kaltungo area of southern Gombe be processed into vitamin C to substitute Nigeria’s multimillion-dollar imports? In 2024, Saudi Arabi formally requested Nigeria to supply one million tons of soybeans and 200,000 tons of red meat annually. How could Gombe State exploit this golden opportunity to uplift its people? There is something about Pantami that convinces me that he has answers to these questions.

El-Yakubu is a Professor of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria  [email protected]

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