Farouk Lawan has been Granted Presidential Pardon by Tinubu, Now Eligible to Contest 2027 Elections After $500,000 Bribery Conviction.
GoldenNewsNg gathered that the Former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan, who served a prison term for attempting to extort $500,000 from billionaire Femi Otedola, has been granted a presidential pardon by President Bola Tinubu, restoring his eligibility to run for public office.
Lawan was previously barred from contesting elections under the Electoral Act, 2022, which prohibits individuals convicted of offenses involving dishonesty from participating in politics for ten years. Legal experts say the presidential clemency effectively clears his criminal record, allowing him to bypass this restriction.
Festus Ogun, founding partner of FOLegal, explained that the pardon “means Lawan has been forgiven. Normally, his political career would have been over under the Electoral Act, but this action restores his eligibility to contest elections.”
Lawan’s conviction stemmed from his role as chairman of a House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy fraud in 2012. The committee accused Zenon Oil of improperly obtaining $230 million in foreign exchange to import petrol. Lawan allegedly approached Otedola, demanding $3 million to remove his firm from the investigation. Otedola partially complied, handing over $500,000 in a marked envelope, which led to Lawan’s arrest.
During the trial, Lawan claimed he intended to trap Otedola, but the court rejected this explanation. In June 2021, Justice Angela Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sentenced him to seven years in prison. The Court of Appeal later reduced the sentence to five years in February 2022.
With the presidential pardon, Lawan now has the opportunity to re-enter politics and potentially contest the Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency of Kano State in the 2027 elections. While supporters view the pardon as a chance for rehabilitation, critics have raised concerns about the implications for accountability and integrity in public office.
The development underscores the complex interplay between political clemency, legal rehabilitation, and electoral eligibility in Nigeria. Lawan’s return to politics will likely spark debates on governance, transparency, and the standards for public leadership.
