Former member of the Home of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, says his current presidential pardon has given him a recent begin in politics, revealing that his fallout with the Kwankwasiyya motion stemmed from neglect throughout his years of trial and imprisonment.
Lawan, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State, was amongst 175 individuals granted presidential pardon by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on October 9.
The previous lawmaker was convicted in 2021 on three counts of corruption after being accused of accepting a bribe in 2012 to take away an organization’s identify from an inventory of corporations indicted within the gasoline subsidy scandal. He accomplished his sentence and regained freedom in October 2024.
Talking in an interview with the BBC, Lawan stated his imprisonment was a interval of reflection that uncovered the depth of loyalty inside his political circle.
“Each time God places you thru a trial, He additionally opens your eyes to see who your true companions are,” he stated, lamenting {that a} outstanding determine within the Kwankwasiyya motion by no means reached out to him throughout or after his ordeal.
“It’s been a 12 months now. He by no means known as to want me effectively or say, ‘Might Allah bless you for regaining your freedom,’” Lawan added.
He defined that though he remained a member of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) whereas in jail, he instructed his supporters to affix the New Nigeria Individuals’s Social gathering (NNPP) in the course of the 2023 elections out of respect for the Kwankwasiyya motion.
Nevertheless, he famous that his outlook on politics has since developed, describing the NNPP as too restrictive for his present aspirations.
“Politics must be expansive. The NNPP, as it’s now, feels too slim for me,” he stated, stressing that he now intends to align himself with “mainstream nationwide politics.”
