Hon. Farouk Lawan’s Political Wilderness
By providence, he once tasted and enjoyed the sweetness of power. Then, he was always in our eyes and in the news for diverse reasons, to the envy of many.
In fact, between 1999 and 2015, the political tide swayed him here and there, thereby making him a recurring decimal in the nation’s political scene.
However, he seems to be striving very hard to regain relevance in the political circle nowadays. Such is the pathetic tale of Hon. Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives.
In reminiscence, he had literally hugged fame within the Green Chamber of the National Assembly in 2007 when he led a group known as Integrity Group to open the lid on the alleged financial malfeasance of the former Speaker, Patricia Etteh, who was accused of spending N628 million on the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy as well as the purchase of 12 official cars for the House of Representatives.
Consequently, Lawan, who was nicknamed Mr. Integrity, instantly became a hero for his role. It was, no doubt, a boon to his fledging political career. Lost in the euphoria of the overwhelming approbation, he reportedly began to eye the number one seat in his Kano State.
But before our eyes, Mr. Integrity’s integrity was put to question, following his alleged involvement in a $620,000 bribe- he was said to have collected the sum of money from oil and gas magnate, Femi Otedola. Though the matter is still in court, Lawan has continued to redeem his battered image. Alas! The ugly development became a big blot on his political career, as many began to see Achilles’ heel.
Surprisingly, diminutive Lawan, without a worry about his already dented image, reportedly attempted to return to the Lower Chamber in 2015 for the fifth time, but he was trounced and humiliated by a greenhorn, Sule Aliyu Romo, to represent Shanono/Bagwai Federal Constituency of Kano State at the National Assembly.
Sadly, his political odyssey seems to have taken a new twist, as his supporters and friends have allegedly abandoned him, leaving him like flotsam and jetsam on the sea of politics in Nigeria. And left wandering in the political wilderness.
