Kwankwasiyya movement abandoned me during my trial — Farouk Lawan

Former member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan,says his recent presidential pardon has given him a fresh start in politics,revealing that his fallout with the Kwankwasiyya movement stemmed from neglectduring his years of trial and imprisonment. Lawan, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituencyof Kano State, was among 175 persons granted presidential pardon by PresidentBola Ahmed Tinubu on October 9. The former lawmaker was convicted in 2021 on three counts ofcorruption after being accused of accepting a bribe in 2012 to remove acompany’s name from a list of firms indicted in the fuel subsidy scandal. Hecompleted his sentence and regained freedom in October 2024. Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Lawan said hisimprisonment was a period of reflection that exposed the depth of loyaltywithin his political circle. “Whenever God puts you through a trial, He also opens youreyes to see who your true companions are,” he said, lamenting that a prominentfigure in the Kwankwasiyya movement never reached out to him during or afterhis ordeal. “It’s been a year now. He never called to wish me well orsay, ‘May Allah bless you for regaining your freedom,’” Lawan added. He explained that although he remained a member of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) while in prison, he instructed his supporters tojoin the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) during the 2023 elections out ofrespect for the Kwankwasiyya movement. However, he noted that his outlook on politics has sinceevolved, describing the NNPP as too restrictive for his current aspirations. “Politics should be expansive. The NNPP, as it is now, feelstoo narrow for me,” he said, stressing that he now intends to align himselfwith “mainstream national politics.”

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