The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu land has strongly rejected allegations by popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, that he is being deliberately excluded from the ongoing process to select the next Awujale of Ijebu land.
The ruling house, which is next in line to produce the monarch, described Ayinde’s protest letter to Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as “arrant nonsense” and lacking any basis in law or logic.
In a letter dated January 8, 2026, written by his lawyer, Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), KWAM1 alleged that the leadership of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had issued directives unknown to the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State, with the intention of disenfranchising him from contesting for the revered Awujale stool.
However, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, dismissed the claims, insisting that the protest had no bearing on the selection process.
Speaking on Sunday, Yusuf said the allegations were misguided and ill-informed.
“It is a misguided letter. Either Wahab Shittu is being misled or Wasiu Ayinde is being misled. It is arrant nonsense,” he said.
Yusuf questioned the logic of the claims, noting that the ruling house has over 20,000 members.
“The issue being raised about the screening is illogical. How does he expect us to manage such a crowd? What is being talked about does not make sense,” he added.
He disclosed that the family had scheduled Monday for the nomination meeting of aspirants for the vacant stool.
The race for the Awujale throne has reportedly attracted over 60 aspirants and generated widespread public interest, particularly following KWAM1’s open declaration of interest. The Fusengbuwa family, however, maintained that the Fuji musician is not a member of the ruling house and is therefore not qualified to participate in the process.
Ayinde had earlier approached the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode, seeking an interim injunction to restrain the governor and six others from proceeding with the selection process. The court dismissed the application for lack of merit, after which the suit was withdrawn by his lawyer without explanation.
Following the intervention of the Ogun State Government, the ruling house suspended the initial nomination exercise and restarted the process afresh.
In a fresh letter to the governor, Ayinde stated that the Ijebu-Ode Local Government had, via a letter dated January 6, 2026, approved the commencement of the selection process. He expressed surprise that despite preparations for a family meeting, the ruling house’s Public Relations Officer, Prince Adeleye Lateef Ademuyiwa, issued a notice directing aspirants to obtain nomination forms and appear before a screening committee chaired by Prince Alhaji Mitiu Adenuga.
According to the letter, the directive fixed the nomination exercise for Monday, January 12, 2026, while also stating that nominations would be conducted by delegates selected at a meeting slated for January 10, 2026.
KWAM1’s lawyer described the directives as illegal and inconsistent with existing laws governing chieftaincy matters in Ogun State.
“It is a matter of deep concern to our client that all these illegal directives—unknown to the Chieftaincy Declaration, the Obas and Chiefs Law, and the letter of the Ijebu-Ode Local Government—were included in the family’s correspondence,” the letter read.
The lawyer warned that any attempt to exclude Ayinde from the process would be resisted, stressing that all members of the ruling house are entitled to participate freely in the nomination of candidates.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July last year following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who passed away at the age of 91 after a historic 65-year reign.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Ogun State Government were unsuccessful, as the Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, did not respond to enquiries as of press time.
Awujale Stool: Fusengbuwa Ruling House Blasts KWAM1’s Protest as ‘Arrant Nonsense
