The Oshana Regional Youth Forum is currently involved in a dispute over its newly elected executive.
A statement issued on December 2nd, 2024, declared Griffith Mwashekele as the newly elected chairperson.
However, Absalom Itamalo, who was the chairperson before the conference convened, contends that the voting process did not follow the procedures outlined in the National Youth Council Act and its Restructuring Policy Guidelines.
The newly elected leadership, now led by Griffith Mwashekele, responded to what they say is impersonation, corruption, and the issuance of unauthorised statements made by former chairperson Absalom Itamalo, who also released a statement in December after his term ended.
Mwashekele states that all procedures were properly followed in accordance with the National Youth Council Act, noting that the election included representatives from all 10 constituencies in the Oshana Region, each represented by eight accredited delegates, thus ensuring a democratic process.
In contrast, Itamalo says that the former leadership was neither consulted nor informed about the elective conference and that the restructuring was not done accordingly.
He also claims that, as chairperson, he should have held a regional conference, and therefore the elections are invalid.
"There was no renewal of the mandate. The leadership of Oshana is the one charged with that responsibility, and up until now, we have not convened a regional conference to elect new leadership. We are waiting for the interim board to finish with the task given to them by the minister so that we can convene our regional executive to call for the conference that will elect new leaders of the Oshana region."
On his part, Mwashekele stated that candidates were nominated and elected in strict accordance with the eligibility criteria outlined in the NYC Act, which includes age restrictions of 16 to 35 years and other qualifications.
This he says disqualifies Itamalo, who is 37 years old.
"I just want to tell our constituencies and stakeholders, councillors, and the governor to notify them that I am the newly elected chairperson, and I look forward to working with the youth. We should not make the Oshana Youth Forum a fighting place but rather a place of building and creating employment and seeking solutions as we are moving towards green space and green funding. So everyone should be in unison and understanding that there is a new management in town."
The National Restructuring Coordinator, Ileni Henguva, confirmed the legitimacy of the newly elected leadership, stating that the regional conference was conducted in accordance with established rules.