Former lawmaker Farouk Lawan has expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for granting him a presidential pardon, describing the gesture as an act of “fatherly compassion” that has renewed his hope.
Lawan, who represented the Bagwai/Shanono constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives, was among several individuals pardoned by President Tinubu on Thursday.
The former legislator gained national attention in 2012 after a leaked video showed him allegedly accepting cash bribes from billionaire businessman Femi Otedola during the investigation into the petrol subsidy fraud. He was accused of demanding $3 million to remove Otedola’s company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, from the list of indicted firms.
After years of legal battles, Lawan was convicted by an FCT High Court in 2021 and sentenced to seven years in prison, later reduced to five by the Court of Appeal, which upheld his conviction on one count. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in January 2024. Lawan completed his jail term and was released in October 2024.
Reacting to his pardon, Lawan said Tinubu’s gesture had “cast a warm blanket” over him, describing it as divine mercy.
“Mr President has pulled me back from the harshness of yesterday’s cold,” he said. “My family and I, along with my friends and associates in Kano State and across Nigeria, are indescribably grateful for being drafted back into active citizenship with its service imperative.”
The presidential pardon effectively wipes away the final blot on Lawan’s record, a move seen by observers as clearing the path for his possible return to politics or public service.
