A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Farouk Lawan, has successfully scaled the screening process of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Lawan, who was previously convicted in a bribery case but later granted presidential pardon and clemency by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerged as the preferred candidate of stakeholders from Bagwai and Shanono Local Government Areas for the House of Representatives seat.
The screening followed his endorsement by party leaders, youth and women groups who unanimously adopted him as their sole candidate for the Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency.
A source who attended the stakeholders’ meeting said the endorsement was based on what participants described as Lawan’s “strong representation” during his previous tenure at the National Assembly.
According to the source, stakeholders recalled his years in the legislature with nostalgia, noting that his performance informed their decision to support his return to the National Assembly in 2027.
The endorsement reportedly came shortly after a stakeholders’ engagement with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Those present at the meeting included the Chairman of Bagwai Local Government, Engr. Bello Gadanya; Chairman of Shanono Local Government, Alhaji Abubakar Barau Shanono; and several party elders.
Others were Alhaji Sani Gadanya, a former commissioner under the administration of Abubakar Rimi; Salisu Garba Bagwai, former Chairman of Bagwai Local Government; Comrade Ahmed Kadamu, former Chairman of Shanono Local Government; and Alhaji Inuwa Zangina Dangada, former Chairman of Bagwai Local Government.
Stakeholders declared Lawan their unanimous choice for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
Representatives of youth and women groups, alongside party leaders including Alhaji Mustapha Shatan Shanono, former state commissioner Alhaji Ali Ado, and APC chieftain Alhaji Haruna Abbas, also endorsed Lawan’s candidacy on behalf of their constituencies.
Elected and supervisory councillors from the two local governments equally backed Lawan’s bid, describing his anticipated return to the National Assembly as beneficial to their communities.
At the same meeting, stakeholders endorsed Hon. Ali Kiyawa as the party’s candidate for the State House of Assembly seat.
Kano Times recalls that Lawan completed a five-year prison sentence following his conviction in a bribery case before receiving presidential pardon and clemency, which restored his civil and political rights.
The former lawmaker, who represented Bagwai/Shanono Federal Constituency, was linked to a widely publicised 2012 bribery scandal involving businessman Femi Otedola during investigations into alleged petrol subsidy fraud.
