Ahead of the proposed Okpanam Youth Congress (OYO), which would elect the Executive Committee members to pilot its affairs, the Ugoani of Okpanam, HRM (Dr.) Michael Mbanefo Ogbolu has warned that any Executive Committee midwifed without the knowledge and supervision of Ugoani-In-Council shall not be recognised by the Council, which is the highest decision-making organ in Okpanam Kingdom.
To this end, the Ugoani said, “I, therefore, call on the incumbent President of Okpanam Youth Organisation (OYO), to come down from his high horse and toe the line of transparency, to ensure a hitch-free transition from his tenure to a new breed Executive Committee.”
The Ugoani, who handed down the warning at the meeting of Ugoani-In-Council, held at his palace in Okpanam, said the warning was not to say that Ugoani-In-Council was not appreciative of the positive achievements of the OYO under the tenure of the incumbent president, Comr Lucky Okolo, that had contributed to the development and growth of Okpanam Kingdom under his watch.
Further commending Comr Okolo for the good works of the OYO under his watch as President, the Ugoani disclosed that, “It is pertinent to inform you that a section of our youth that christens itself as ‘Voice of Unity’, via a letter to him, dated 18th March, 2026 and titled, ‘The request for urgent intervention in the Okpanam Youth Organization election process’, complained of alleged non-transparency and bias on the part of Mr. Lucky Okolo (the incumbent), in the match to host the OYO Congress.
To this end, the monarch appealed to the gladiators to sheathe their swords, and not overheat the polity, “especially at this period of incessant cases of security breaches in our Kingdom, coupled with the fact that our great country, Nigeria, is preparing for its general elections ahead of 2027.”
He said the Ugoani-In-Council was duty-bound to intervene by listening to the gladiators, and urged them to work out the framework for the successful hosting of the proposed OYO Congress. “It is the inalienable duty of Ugoani-In-Council to appoint an impartial umpire to midwife the Congress of the OYO to douse tension,” the Ugoani added.
