Former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan has suffered a political setback in his bid to return to the National Assembly, losing the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency in Kano State.
Lawan, who was released from prison in October 2024 after serving a five-year sentence for bribery, was defeated by the incumbent lawmaker, Yusuf Badau, in a contest that concluded over the weekend .
The former legislator, once nicknamed “Mr. Integrity” for his anti-corruption stance, had his political rights restored following a presidential pardon granted by President Bola Tinubu in October 2025.
The pardon came after the National Council of State determined that Lawan had “demonstrated sufficient remorse” and was ready to reintegrate into society .
Lawan’s journey from a celebrated anti-graft crusader to a convicted felon is one of Nigeria’s most notorious political scandals. He rose to national prominence in 2012 as Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating the multi-billion-naira fuel subsidy regime.
However, his reputation imploded when billionaire oil magnate Femi Otedola accused him of demanding a $3 million bribe to remove Otedola’s companies, Zenon Oil and Forte Oil, from the list of firms indicted for fraud.
Lawan was caught on camera accepting a $500,000 cash advance of the bribe, which he initially denied before later admitting to collecting the money .
Following a lengthy legal battle, the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction. He was sentenced to five years in prison after an appeal court reduced the initial seven-year term .
Despite receiving a presidential pardon—which legally wiped away the 10-year ban on contesting elections imposed by the constitution—Lawan could not convince delegates in his constituency to return him to the House of Representatives .
The APC’s spokesman in Kano, Auwalu Soja, disclosed the outcome, explaining that the party adopted consensus arrangements in 20 federal constituencies to select candidates, but four constituencies—including Bagwai/Shanono—proceeded to primaries after aspirants declined to step down .
“The exercise was conducted in a mature and peaceful manner. There were no security challenges throughout the process,” Soja stated .
In the end, the incumbent, Yusuf Badau, retained the party ticket, effectively ending Farouk Lawan’s hopes of making a political comeback.
Following his loss, Lawan has yet to issue a public statement regarding the outcome of the primary or his future political plans.
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