Political Islam, Governance, and Institutional Change in Northern Nigeria: A Comparative State Analysis

This study develops a comparative analysis of the relationship between political Islam, governance arrangements, and institutional change in northern Nigeria, examining how the adoption of expanded Sharia legal systems in twelve northern states from 1999 onwards has reshaped state institutions, inter-governmental relations, and the governance of inter-religious pluralism. The expansion of Sharia jurisdiction in northern Nigeria represents one of the most significant institutional changes in Nigerian federalism since the return to civilian rule, yet its long-term governance consequences have been analysed primarily from legal or religious studies perspectives rather than through a comparative political science lens. Drawing on the political Islam literature, the institutionalist theory of legal change, and the political sociology of religion in Nigeria, the study develops an original framework for analysing how religious legal pluralism within a secular federal constitution shapes state governance outcomes. The framework is tested through comparative analysis of Zamfara, Kano, and Borno states, representing three distinctive configurations of political Islam, governance context, and institutional outcomes, drawing on fieldwork comprising 76 interviews with religious scholars, legal practitioners, state officials, and civil society representatives. Findings reveal that Sharia adoption produced different governance trajectories across the three states, with Kano developing a more hybrid secular-religious institutional system, Zamfara experiencing governance fragmentation, and Borno facing the radicalisation dynamic associated with Boko Haram's rejection of official Sharia institutions as insufficiently authentic. The study makes original theoretical contributions to the comparative politics of religion and governance in Muslim-majority sub-national jurisdictions. Keywords: political Islam, Sharia, governance, northern Nigeria, religious legal pluralism