Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Saturday 18th April, 2026

Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the NaijaChoice News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Saturday 18th April, 2026.

1. Jigawa, Kano, Lagos Top Voter Registration As Women Dominate New Sign-Ups

Jigawa, Kano and Lagos states have topped Nigeria’s ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

NaijaChoice News reports that fresh figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission placed Jigawa first with 210,868 new registrants, Kano second with 196,486 and Lagos third with 192,075.

Ekiti State recorded the lowest turnout with 32,475 new voters. Anambra followed with 33,826 while Ondo, Enugu and Plateau posted 35,280, 40,178 and 52,564 respectively.

2. EFCC To Arrest Sadiya Umar Farouq, Bashir Nura Alkali Over $1.3m, ₦746.6m Fraud

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja yesterday issued warrants of arrest for former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.

The pair failed to appear for their scheduled arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over an alleged $1.3 million and ₦746.6 million fraud. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court.

3. Second Term Not Tinubu’s Birthright’ – Atiku’s Camp Blasts Onanuga

Political tensions have hit a new high between the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Presidency over the sensitive matter of North-South power rotation. The dispute flared after President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, reacted to Atiku’s recent Arise TV interview where the PDP chieftain hinted at another presidential bid in 2027. Onanuga insisted the South must hold the presidency until 2031, arguing that the region deserves its full eight years following the two terms of former President Muhammadu Buhari from the North.

4. Federal High Court Grants BLORD Bail in VeryDarkMan Case

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Linus Williams Ifejirika, popularly known as BLORD, after he spent 16 days in Kuje Prison.

BLORD was remanded following allegations of impersonation and unauthorised use of social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan. The court released him on self-recognizance but ordered the immediate seizure of his international passport, restricting his travel while the matter remains before the court.

5. Lagos Pastor Bags Life Jail For Raping Church Member’s Daughter

A 63-year-old cleric, Chris Douglas, has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja for raping a church member’s daughter.

Delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Rahman Oshodi held that Douglas, the General Overseer of Peculiar Generation Assembly Church, Oshodi, abused his position of authority and trust to exploit the victim.

Describing the conduct as a gross breach of trust, the judge said, “The convict occupied a position of spiritual authority and was regarded as a father figure by the victim and her family.”

6. 2027: Labour Party Disowns Arabambi, Denies Backing Tinubu’s Reelection Bid

The Labour Party has firmly rejected claims by Abayomi Arabambi that it has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the party described Arabambi’s comments as misleading and without basis. Arabambi, who claimed during a recent television interview that key party figures including Abia Governor Alex Otti had agreed to back Tinubu, was immediately disowned by the leadership.

Comrade Abubakar Yawale, Sokoto State Chairman of the Labour Party and Chairman of the Northern Labour Party Chairmen Forum, said Arabambi is an expelled member with no right to speak for the party. “Arabambi is an expelled member and has no authority whatsoever to speak for or on behalf of the Labour Party,” the statement stressed.

7. Jettison 2027 Ambition, Respect Power Rotation – Onanuga To Atiku

The Presidency on Thursday advised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to jettison any idea to contest the 2027 presidential poll.

It insisted that it is the turn of the South under Nigeria’s established power rotation arrangement to still produce the president next year.

Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, made the advice in a post on his verified X handle, where he criticised Atiku’s renewed presidential ambition as a “self-serving” move that violates the North-South zoning principle.

8. We Will Give Those Who Don’t See The Work We Are Doing Eyeglasses – Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared his administration a direct continuation of the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

The President made the remark on Friday while hosting the 36 state coordinators of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He stressed that there was no real break in leadership when he took office in 2023.

“The truth is I took over from myself. The late Buhari is me; he was a partner. If I took over from him, is that not from myself?” Tinubu said.

He described Buhari as more than a predecessor, calling their bond a political partnership that shaped the All Progressives Congress (APC) era.

9. Privatisation: It’s Not My Fault You Can’t Read – Atiku Replies Tinubu

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has launched a sharp rebuttal against President Bola Tinubu,
accusing him of hypocrisy, distortion of history, and political desperation—while pointedly declaring that “it is not my fault that you can’t read.”

The response was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday morning, by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, who signed the release on behalf of the former Vice President.

“It is not our fault that the President does not and can not read,” the statement said, adding that a proper understanding of Nigeria’s reform history was clearly documented in ‘The Accidental Public Servant’ authored by Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

10. Airtime Borrowing Suspension Sparks Outrage in Nigeria

Nigerian telecom users are venting anger over the sudden suspension of airtime borrowing services across major networks.

The popular *303# short code, which let subscribers borrow airtime or data and repay on their next recharge, has gone silent on MTN, Airtel and other operators. Millions of prepaid customers, especially low-income earners who rely on it for daily calls, business and emergencies, now find themselves stranded without quick credit options.

That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on NaijaChoice News. See you again tomorrow.