By Jabir Ridwan
A public debate has emerged over the role of moral and religious leadership in Nigerian politics following comments by journalist Jaafar Jaafar on the political ambition of Professor Isa Ali Pantami.
In a detailed response, Professor Adam Abba-Aji Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry University of Alberta, has pushed back against the notion that effective political leadership requires abandoning religious preaching or moral authority, describing such a view as a “false choice” that has contributed to Nigeria’s political decline.
“My brother Jaafar, I respectfully disagree with your position on Professor Pantami and the conclusion you draw about his political ambition,” Abba-Aji wrote. “Moral leadership and political leadership are not opposites. In fact, the absence of moral leadership is one of the main reasons our politics has deteriorated to this level.”
Abba-Aji argued that Pantami’s academic work, public service, and reform efforts are not evidence of divided focus, but rather of consistency rooted in shared values.
He rejected the idea that Pantami is attempting to live incompatible lives, insisting instead that his trajectory represents a coherent life path.
Drawing a comparison with Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, whom he described as “a combo of a professor and mallam,” Abba-Aji noted that intellectual depth and moral grounding have already proven compatible with effective governance in Nigeria.
Responding to Jaafar’s reference to a Hausa proverb about multitasking, Abba-Aji said the real crisis in Nigerian politics is not divided attention but the normalization of corruption, incompetence, and moral compromise.
“When we argue that politics must involve dirt, lies, theft, and thuggery, we are not being realistic,” he said. “We are excusing failure and defending a broken system.”
He further challenged the characterization of Nigerian politics as an inherently corrupt space where no one can remain clean, warning that such thinking only entrenches bad leadership by discouraging principled individuals from participating.
Addressing the description of Pantami as sadakar yalla, Abba-Aji dismissed the label as misplaced, describing Pantami as a nationally and internationally respected intellectual with experience in governance under intense scrutiny.
“Entering politics does not require him to discard his moral compass,” he said. “It requires him to apply it in a space that badly needs it.”
Abba-Aji also criticized what he called a deeply cynical separation of faith and public life, arguing that societies progress when ethically grounded individuals refuse to surrender governance to opportunists and career manipulators.
According to him, Pantami does not need to reinvent himself to aspire to lead Gombe State, but rather to remain consistent as a disciplined thinker and reform-minded leader.
“Gombe does not need another politician fluent in patronage,” Abba-Aji wrote. “It needs leadership grounded in ideas, accountability, and service.”
He concluded by stating that the greater danger lies not in Pantami bringing moral conviction into politics, but in politics continuing without people like him.
“That is why his ambition is not only legitimate,” Abba-Aji said. “It is necessary.”