The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Benue State chapter, has cautioned aspirants and party stakeholders against purchasing nomination forms through unauthorized channels, stressing that the exercise has not yet commenced.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Agile Ordedoo Bem, on behalf of the State Chairman, Mr. Ohini Ojegbe, the party urged aspirants who had earlier purchased intent and expression of interest forms and participated in the primary process to remain patient.

The party explained that only intent and expression of interest forms had been sold so far, noting that the sale of nomination forms would begin at the NDC State Secretariat once the list of successful candidates is officially released.

According to the statement, the state leadership has not authorized any individual or group to sell nomination forms on its behalf and therefore disassociates itself from any advertisement or sale taking place outside the party secretariat.

The NDC warned aspirants against patronizing what it described as “black market” channels for nomination forms, either within or outside Benue State.

The party further disclosed that its national leadership was finalizing documentation relating to candidates across the country and would soon publish the official list for public and media consumption.

While assuring members of transparency in the process, the party expressed confidence in its chances of securing a majority of elective positions in Benue State and across Nigeria in the forthcoming elections.

The statement called on aspirants and stakeholders to await official communication from the party regarding the commencement of nomination form sales and the release of candidates’ names.

The National Economic Council has approved 83.21 billion naira for the implementation of an Anticipatory Action Task Force aimed at mitigating flooding and other climate-related disasters across the country.

This approval followed a 50 percent reduction of the initial 166.42 billion naira request submitted to the council by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu.

The decision was reached on Thursday during the council’s 158th meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu stated that the approved funds will be drawn through the Federation Account Allocation Committee to facilitate timely interventions.

“We know that flooding now is almost an occurring decimal, and the Federal Government were very happy that we are putting some retroactive steps to make sure that the mitigation comes on in time to save the states,” Otu said.

He explained that the 50 percent budget cut was a resource-conscious initial step rather than a rejection of the urgency of the request.

“This is the first time as a nation that we are taking proactive steps. Most of the time, we’ve waited till flood has done its damage before we act, but this time around we are taking proactive steps to mitigate the possibility of the flood, which is a perennial issue.”

Other state governors highlighted additional development plans discussed during the session. Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang noted that this intervention represents the first phase of a broader flood management strategy, which includes long-term infrastructure such as reservoirs to manage water releases from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam.

Additionally, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf disclosed that the council considered the proposed National Regional Development Policy for 2026 to 2030 to address spatial inequalities, while Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke announced that the council reviewed a proposal to strengthen Nigeria’s agro-export value chain, which could unlock about “$50bn in annual agro-export potential currently tied to compliance gaps.”