Indigenes of Igbomina in Kwara state, under the Kwara South Peoples Assembly, have frowned at a recent directive by an umbrella body of Igbomina descendants, Omo Ibile Igbomina, asking all Igbomina political aspirants to delay collecting nomination forms until April 29, 2026, describing it as insensitive.

In a statement by its chairman, Otunba Babatunde Akinyemi, the group said that the socio-cultural group was acting outside its mandate by attempting to regulate political activities of Igbomina sons and daughters.

The Kwara South Peoples Assembly was reacting to a statement dated April 25, 2026, issued by the national publicity secretary of Omo Ibile Igbomina, Barr. Bisi Adedayo, which had directed aspirants of Igbomina origin across all political parties to refrain from obtaining nomination forms pending a decision by the group’s NEC, Board of Trustees, and Council of Elders scheduled for April 27 and 28, 2026.

“The said directive is insensitive, wrong, and a clear departure from the mandate of a socio-cultural organisation”, he said. “Omo Ibile Igbomina was not founded to regulate the political aspirations of Igbomina sons and daughters. It has no business dictating when and how aspirants engage their political parties”.

The group argued that the core remit of Omo Ibile Igbomina is the promotion of Igbomina culture, unity, and development. “Meddling in party nomination processes is ultra vires and sets a dangerous precedent. What happens if Ibolo Association, Ekiti Kwara Association, or Ilorin Descendants Union also begins to issue political bans to their kinsmen?” the statement queried.

Kwara South Peoples Assembly also said that the directive was “unnecessarily heating up the politics of Kwara South” by creating suspicion and factions among aspirants who should be free to pursue legitimate ambitions.

The Assembly called on the Board of Trustees and the Council of Igbomina Elders to call the Executive Committee to order “before further damage is done to the image and legacy of Omo Ibile Igbomina”.

The group insisted that “politics should be left to political parties and INEC,” urging socio-cultural groups to “stick to their lane: unity, development, and advocacy for our people”. (TRIBUNE)