Kwankwasiyya abandoned me in prison, Farouk Lawan alleges

Former House of Representatives member, Farouk Lawan, recently pardoned by President Bola Tinubu over a $3m bribe extortion case has opened up about his ordeal behind bars — and the painful realisation that key voices in the Kwankwasiyya movement abandoned him when he needed them the most.

Lawan was among 175 individuals granted presidential clemency on October 9, 2025, following recommendations from the Council of State.

His legal troubles stemmed from a 2021 conviction: a Federal High Court handed him a 7-year sentence for allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes tied to Nigeria’s fuel subsidy scandal in 2012.

In a candid interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Lawan described his prison experience as an eye-opener — a time to reflect on faith, loyalty, and political alliances.

He said that, while incarcerated, he often thought about who his real friends were.

“Whenever God puts you through a trial, He also opens your eyes to see who your true companions are,” he said, adding that for more than a year, he never received even a phone call from a major figure in Kwankwasiyya — not a “get-well” message, not a word of support,” Farouk Lawan said.

“It’s been a year now. He never called to wish me well or say, ‘May Allah bless you for regaining your freedom,’” Lawan lamented

Lawan revealed that while he remained a PDP member during his time in prison, he had directed his supporters to shift to NNPP ahead of the 2023 general elections.

But he now believes NNPP is too narrow to sustain his political ambitions.

Though he no longer identifies strictly with Kwankwasiyya, Farouk Lawan maintains respect for its leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, even as he signals readiness for broader national engagement.

His pardon, he says, is a reset, an opportunity to re-enter politics with new clarity about who stood by him in his darkest hours.