The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu land has strongly rejected claims by Fuji music star Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, that he is being deliberately sidelined from the ongoing process to select the next Awujale of Ijebu.
In a protest letter dated January 8, 2026, written on his behalf by his lawyer, Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), Ayinde accused leaders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House—next in line to produce the monarch—of introducing “illegal directives” not recognised by the Chieftaincy Declaration or the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law. He alleged that the directives were designed to disenfranchise him from contesting for the revered stool.
But reacting on Sunday, the Vice Chairman of the ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“It is a misguided letter. Either Wahab Shittu is being misled or Wasiu Ayinde is being misled. It is arrant nonsense,” Yusuf said in a telephone interview. “The screening process being questioned is illogical. We have over 20,000 members in the ruling house. How do you expect us to manage such a crowd? What is being talked about is not practical.”
Yusuf also confirmed that the ruling house had fixed Monday for the nomination meeting of aspirants.
The race to succeed the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona—who died in July last year at 91 after a historic 65-year reign—has attracted intense interest, with more than 60 aspirants reportedly jostling for the throne. Ayinde is among those who have openly declared their interest.
However, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House insists that the Fuji musician is not a member of the family and is therefore not qualified to participate in the selection process.
Before writing to the governor, Ayinde had approached the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode, seeking an interim injunction to halt the selection process. The court declined the request, describing it as lacking merit, and the suit was later withdrawn by his lawyer without any stated reason.
The ruling house had earlier suspended and later restarted the nomination process following the intervention of the Ogun State Government.
In his fresh petition to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Ayinde referenced a letter dated January 6, 2026, issued by the Secretary of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Oke Adebanjo, which approved the commencement of the Awujale selection process. He expressed surprise that despite this, a notice was issued by Prince Adeleye Lateef Ademuyiwa, the ruling house’s Public Relations Officer, directing aspirants to obtain nomination forms and appear before a screening committee headed by Prince Alhaji Mitiu Adenuga.
The directive, he said, also provided that nominations would be conducted by delegates selected at a meeting scheduled for January 10, ahead of the January 12 nomination exercise.
Shittu argued that these procedures were unknown to both the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State, warning that they were designed to exclude certain members.
“All members of the ruling house are entitled to attend this important meeting to nominate candidates of their choice,” the letter stated. “A group of people in the ruling house cannot usurp the rights of members to freely nominate candidates. Any attempt to hijack the process will create a crisis in what should be a seamless exercise.”
The lawyer further warned that any move to exclude Ayinde would be resisted, urging the governor to intervene to safeguard the integrity of the process.
As of press time, the Ogun State Government had yet to react. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, did not respond to enquiries.
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