TDDrawing practical scenarios from the different preliminary stages of politics conducted in all the states in preparation for the 2027 elections, the verdict is now unambiguous that in politics, all politicians are equal, but some are more equal than the others.
In Gombe state where this drama of political inequality was acted, in the aftermath, the APC was deeply trapped in the parables of doing things right or doing the right thing.
The boycotting of primary election for consensus politics caused the party in the state the resignation of Professor Isa Ali Pantami who was aspiring for gubernatorial election. Because the scripted accord did not work in his favour, he is now in deep romance with the PDP, the party that he fiercely attacked and condemned in the past.
Consequently, many people want to crucify him for insulting the party in those days, forgetting that there is a shift in focus now. We are consistently told that politics has no permanent friends and foes.
In other words, the central point ought to be his viability for the position he is aspiring and not the ‘abusive language’ he used against the PDP.
After all, many had done similar unpopular thing or something worse than that before him and were eventually pardoned. Have we forgotten how the formula of joining the ruling party to bury corrupt practices saved the neck of many politicians?
Since his sins are now forgiven by the PDP and is handsomely awarded the party’s gubernatorial contract for the next election of 2027, for Pantami and the PDP, it is now the beginning of political honeymoon.
What remains to be perfected is consolidating this new political marriage until victory is achieved. Recall that we are now passing through the period of political realignment and rehabilitation for survival.
Trust and confidence are no longer pillars of democracy. Betrayal is the biggest outcome of political scheming. Therefore, the highest challenge of politics in Nigeria is getting credible people who will deliver good governance and restore the confidence of the people on functional, inclusive and responsive leadership .
Though Pantami is more of an excellent academician and a modern Islamic thinker strengthened by spiritual resources, he has not acquired adequate experience related to complex mathematics of politics, especially the intriguing side of it.
That was why he was easily and mischievously eliminated in the agreement deal. For many politicians to be great and successful, they have less business with morality in politics. This negative trend extends to the conduct of governance with attendant results of poor performance.
Pantami is well understood by people who possess original mind. He is not aspiring for self-indulgence but, struggling to build a bridge between his good intentions and their actualisation for a better living. The task is enormous but Pantami is a desirable political element in contemporary politics.
Pantami will be great and successful in governance because his disciplined mind will balance the direct conflict of Halal and Haram.
For example, what is considered Halal (lawful) will never be altered and accepted as Haram (forbidden) and vice versa if Pantami would be at the helm of affairs. This is where Pantami will earn core adversaries who are passionate of exchanging Halal for Haram.
Pantami is a product of the generation that has abandoned the collective vision and mission of the institutionalization of Halal for real development.
A generation that is largely built on injustice, false beliefs and fraudulent practices for the survival of individuals is very dangerous and gradually consuming us as we are all living witnesses.
The generation of Pantami is a waste because it disregards just governance and promotes unjust governance. It is, therefore, left for the people of Gombe to make or mar this opportunity to unlock the treasure of possibilities and move forward for the sake of just politics and governance.
The endless trouble with those who don’t want Pantami as a governor rests with the inevitable result that they will never allow a strong system that will support Halal and discard Haram.
Those who are afraid of this paradigm shift want to maintain the destructive status quo of lack of accountability, integrity and transparency. Their primary motive is always to advance the pandemic of self-aggrandizement. For these people, the fear of Pantami is real, visible and uncontrollable.
Pantami lacks the poor characteristics of all political opportunists. He is rather composed of a progressive mind, compelled and overwhelmed by the prevailing circumstances to fall into the field of politics and offer it a significant value.
Profoundly nurtured by the politics of conscience, his religious background will make him to be a force to be reckoned with. As a good student of human compassion, there will be great joy having Pantami as a governor.
The quality of governance and the effectiveness of leadership are complimentary factors that should always be attained, sustained and improved.
Pantami will be fighting with wisdom and noble ideas to improve the art of governance. His vast knowledge on communication technology will definitely drive Gombe to wear a new face of technology for prosperity.
Pantami’s leadership outcomes will be inspired by the fear of Allah. This will serve as his supreme constitution. The core values of his governance will be transparency, accountability, integrity, justice and fairness.
The domineering leadership for embezzlement, a source of amassing ill-gotten wealth, pomposity and self- complacency will be a thing of the past and will no longer find a place in Gombe.
In a nutshell, the fight against Pantami by an opportunistic segment of the political elite is an aggression against Gombe not to have a leadership that will be reformative for overall development.
Meanwhile, between Pantami and the unrepentant conservatives, the battle line has been drawn.
Abdu Abdullahi; aaringim68@gmail.com
