• Any attempt to slam anti-party allegations against me will have consequences – Wike warns PDP leadership
• Atiku ran away to Dubai, I rescued him from Obasanjo – Tinubu
• Foreign powers behind Nigeria’s insecurity – Buhari
• Cashless system can help track election financing in Nigeria – Osinbajo
• Lagos resident attempts suicide by climbing high-tension wire

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

Any attempt to slam anti-party allegations against me will  have consequences – Wike warns PDP leadership

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has stated that he will “strike back” at the Peoples Democratic Party’s national leadership on Tuesday.

At a rally for local candidates in Etche Local Government Area on Monday, the governor, a member of the G5, addressed the audience.

Wike replied to the PDP national leadership’s warning about certain lawyers appearing in court without legal papers or authorization.

The PDP has stated that it would not hesitate to take harsh measures against any transgressions that are deceptive, dubious, or dishonest.

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s spokesperson, referred to Article 42 of the party’s constitution (as revised in 2017), which delegates sole responsibility for litigation to the National Legal Adviser.

According to Ologunagba, only the official has the authority to hire outside lawyers to handle matters on behalf of the party.

On Monday, Wike cautioned the PDP leadership that any attempt to smear anti-party claims leveled against him and his associates will result in repercussions.

Atiku ran away to Dubai, I rescued him from Obasanjo – Tinubu

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has claimed that he “rescued” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar from former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

Abubakar, who served as vice president under Obasanjo, fought for years with his former principal.

Prior to the 2019 general election, both men reconciled.

Obasanjo however, has since endorsed Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) for this year’s election.

On Monday, during a campaign rally in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom, Tinubu made the following statement:

“I am the one that rescued him from Obasanjo who wanted to roast him like goat meat.

“He ran away to Dubai, and when the election came again, he (Atiku) came for stomach infrastructure. We rehabilitated him in Lagos and gave him a ticket but he wasted it and used it to collect money.

“He faced Obasanjo, faced Buhari, and failed. He failed with Jonathan. He failed in all his subjects.”

Foreign powers behind Nigeria’s insecurity – Buhari

President Muhamamdu Buhari has blamed the insecurity in the country on unfriendly nations who want to see Nigeria destroyed.

Monday during a presidential lunch in Kano, following his tour of the state to inaugurate projects by the government of Governor Ganduje, Buhari made this remark.

According to him: “One can clearly see how these foreign countries took on our weaker part of Nigeria, the Lake Chad where we have reserves of crude oil, and cause serious mayhem there with consistent attacks.”

Buhari stated that the tale of the region surrounding Lake Chad would be different if Governor Zulum had taken his responsibilities more seriously.

The President recalled that of Borno’s 17 LGAs in 2015 when he took office, only four were not under Boko Haram’s control.

“And we are aware that people are using the insurgents who are fraudulent to cause problems, but today most of these local governments [areas] are free,” he said.

The President added that those behind the insecurities knew that Borno was potentially a rich state. “That was why when I was a governor there, I went to Niger, Chad, and even Cameroon because you need your neighbours to survive,” he stated.

Buhari, who praised Governor Ganduje for the infrastructure development in Kano State, also praised the governors of Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, and Kogi states for their respective achievements.

The president also asked the elite to focus on the education of young people, stating that their lack of education is a concern.

President Buhari also made a joke, stating that he had several credentials, including those of suffering and enjoyment, while reiterating that he was incarcerated and had run for president on multiple occasions.

Cashless system can help track election financing in Nigeria – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said an effective cashless policy in Nigeria can help stem the surge of illicit election financing by making it possible to track funds.

Osinbajo spoke on Monday at the Presidential Villa when he received a delegation of the European Union Election Observation Mission led by Barry Andrews, the Chief Observer.

The VP said: “I think that what we should be looking at is to provide more infrastructure. The cashless thing has been really advantageous and helps with tracking. That sort of infrastructure is useful for more financial inclusion and the more financial inclusion you have, the easier it is to track.”

According to Osinbajo “so much money can be spent without it being tracked” under the current election financing practices in the country.

While noting the difficulty in controlling election financing due to cash transactions, Osinbajo said that there are still infrastructure issues required to be in place to ensure an efficient cashless system in the country.

“With cash transactions, it’s still difficult to seriously control election financing,” the VP observed.

On the issue of electoral offences, Osinbajo noted that there is the Electoral Offences Commission Bill at the National Assembly, and “we hope that it’ll begin a new regime of dealing with electoral offences, which would be helpful.”

The VP emphasized: “By and large, one should not expect INEC to be the investigator of electoral offences. I think that law enforcement agencies should be responsible for arresting and prosecuting offenders, state by state.”

Lagos resident attempts suicide by climbing high-tension wire

On Monday morning, a man in his fifties who goes by the name Baba Nuru (Nuru’s dad) attempted suicide in Lagos State.

A witness who arrived at the scene after Baba Nuru was rescued reported that the event occurred in a neighborhood along the Bogije-Lakowe axis close to the Ajah region.

The citizen described how the individual spoke of difficulties and despondency since his circumstances deteriorated over the past year.

The situation deteriorated when the van he and his coworkers were using to conduct business within and outside the state broke down.

The drama began when children on their way to school reported seeing a guy on a high-tension wire attempting to end it all.

The clamor of the students drew the attention of nearby neighbours, who raced to locate the individual who was slowly ascending to touch the cable connected to the hazardous electrical equipment.

“I heard it was around 5:30 – 6 a.m. when the children screamed. People came out and begged the man to come down,” the witness reported.

“The area boys around the place stated that begging the man won’t solve the situation as he appears determined. They stoned him with sticks and other objects.

“The man fell but was not really injured. He said his landlord threw out his belongings after months of inability to pay rent; that the wife left him some weeks ago with their three children.”

Asked to describe the dejected man, the witness replied “He looks like someone between 50 and 55 years old. He wore a white singlet and boxers. They called him Baba Nuru.”

Some residents were said to have suggested that the man be taken to Elemoro Police Station under Area J Command, while others recommended a psychiatric hospital.