These are the stories you should be monitoring today:

Alhaji Ahmed Babba-Kaita of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared winner of the Saturday bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Katsina North Senatorial District, home district of President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Prof Hudu Ayuba-Abdullahi, the returning officer who announced the result at 4:42 am in Daura on Sunday said Kaita, a member of the House of Representatives scored 224,607 votes of the 287,155 valid votes cast, while his elder brother and a retired customs officer, Alhaji Kabir Babba-Kaita of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 59,724 votes.

The APC candidate defeated the PDP candidate and four other candidates in all the 12 local councils that make up the district, to clinch the seat which became vacant after the death of Senator Bukar Mustapha.

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The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have called on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel Saturday’s Lokoja/Kogi bye-election, describing the exercise as a rape on democracy.

In a joint press statement issued and signed by Bode Ogunmola of the PDP, Ochedi Udale Shaibu of the SDP and Comrade Aderemi Ismail of the ADC, they  alleged that the poll was marred with neglect of rule of law through a wanton destruction of electoral materials, snatching of ballot boxes, physical assault on innocent electorate as well as destruction of private and public properties of perceived enemies of the All Progressives Congress-led government in the state under the watchful eyes of the security agencies.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, has berated gospel preachers in the country for failing to support the Federal Government’s anti-corruption war by preaching against it.

Osinbajo who was speaking in Enugu at a Conference of the Students Christian Movement (SCM) of Nigeria, said the problem with Nigeria was neither ethnicity nor religion but systemic corruption, noting that it had become so entrenched in the country that if you dare challenge it, you will be in the minority.

“Very rarely do you hear our preachers talk about corruption from their pulpits. If a nation is not righteous nothing will help it,” he added as he challenged the youth to change the narrative.

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The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress(APC) to speak to Nigerians on the alleged N21bn, guns and thousands of Permanent Voter Cards allegedly found in the residence of the sacked Director General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said the alleged discovery “has not only exposed the hypocrisy of the Buhari Presidency, but has also stripped it of all integrity and brought its deceptive saintly posturing to a disgraceful end.”

The party which said it had been raising the alarm  about alleged corruption in the government for a long time, added that the alleged discovery had shown that the alarm was never in vain.

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The Government of Ekiti has condemned the murder of  Comrade Bunmi Ojo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and has urged the police and other security agencies to bring those behind the murder to justice.

In a statement signed on Saturday by the Media Adviser to the governor, Lere Olayinka, the state government condoled with the families, friends and political associates of the deceased, assuring that all necessary assistance will be provided for the security agencies, to aid thorough investigation of the murder, and arrest of the perpetrators.

“The security agencies must not add this gruesome murder to the diary of unresolved murders in Nigeria,” part of the statement read.

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And stories from around the world:

Malians were called to the ballot box on Sunday for a presidential runoff likely to see Ibrahim Boubacar Keita return to office despite criticism of his handling of the country’s security crisis. (AFP)

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President Tayyip Erdogan denied on Saturday that Turkey is in a currency crisis, dismissing a plunge in the lira as ‘fluctuations’ which have nothing to do with economic fundamentals. (Reuters)

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday called for “swift and just” legal action from new courts after the head of the judiciary said the country faced an “economic war”, state television reported. (Reuters)

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 29-year-old  Richard Russell who stole an empty passenger plane from Seattle airport on Friday and then crashed it had worked for Horizon Air for more than three years, towing and tidying aircraft and loading bags, authorities say. (BBC)

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