The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu land has criticized popular Fuji musician Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, known as KWAM1, over a protest letter he sent to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, claiming he was being excluded from the selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebu land.
In a letter dated January 8, 2026, drafted by his lawyer Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), KWAM1 argued that the ruling house had issued directives that were inconsistent with the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State, allegedly designed to prevent him from participating in the contest for the throne.
Responding on Sunday, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, dismissed the letter as “arrant nonsense” with no bearing on the process.
“This letter is misguided. Either Wahab Shittu or Wasiu Ayinde has been misinformed. The claims about the screening are illogical,” Yusuf said. “With over 20,000 members in the ruling house, managing the process is complex. The nomination meeting for aspirants has been scheduled for Monday.”
The Awujale selection has attracted over 60 aspirants, with KWAM1 openly expressing his interest. However, the ruling house maintains that the musician is not a member and therefore not eligible to participate.
Earlier, Ayinde approached the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode seeking an injunction to stop the governor and six others from proceeding with the process. The court dismissed the request as lacking merit, and the suit was later withdrawn by Ayinde through his lawyer. Following government intervention, the ruling house suspended and later restarted the nomination process.
In a follow-up letter to the governor, KWAM1 noted that the Ijebu-Ode Local Government had approved the ruling house’s selection process in a January 6, 2026 letter signed by its Secretary, Oke Adebanjo. Despite this, he claimed that a notice issued by Prince Adeleye Lateef Ademuyiwa, the ruling house’s Public Relations Officer, set a nomination exercise that included a screening committee chaired by Prince Alhaji Mitiu Adenuga.
KWAM1’s lawyer argued that these directives were inconsistent with state law and the Chieftaincy Declaration, designed to exclude certain members from nominating candidates. “All members of the ruling house have the right to attend the meeting and nominate candidates freely,” Shittu said. “Attempts to hijack the process threaten the integrity of the exercise and will be resisted.”
The Awujale stool became vacant in July last year following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona at the age of 91, after a 65-year reign.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Ogun State government were unsuccessful, as the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, had not responded as of press time.
