The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu land has rejected a January 8, 2026 protest letter from popular Fuji musician Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM1, to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, which alleged that he was being deliberately excluded from the selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
The ruling house described the concerns raised as unfounded and without basis in the established process.
In his letter to the governor, written by his lawyer, Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), KWAM1 claimed that directives issued by the Fusengbuwa family contravened the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State and were aimed at disenfranchising him from contesting for the vacant stool.
The musician also questioned the requirement for candidates to collect nomination forms and appear before a screening committee, arguing that such measures were not authorised by relevant chieftaincy laws.
Responding to the protest letter on Sunday, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Professor Fassy Yusuf, dismissed the claims as “arrant nonsense” and said they had no bearing on the ongoing chieftaincy process.
Yusuf emphasised that either the musician or his lawyer was being misled, and described the arguments about the screening process as illogical given the size of the ruling house. “We have over 20,000 members in the ruling house. How does he expect us to manage the crowd? What is being talked about is illogical,” he said.
The ruling house reiterated that the selection process would proceed, noting that it had scheduled a nomination meeting for aspirants for the vacant stool on Monday, January 12, 2026. It also maintained that KWAM1 was not a member of the ruling house and therefore ineligible to participate in the process.
KWAM1 had previously sought an interim injunction at the Ogun State High Court, Ijebu-Ode, to restrain the governor and others from advancing the selection, but the court dismissed the application as lacking merit. The suit was subsequently withdrawn without a stated reason.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 65 years. The process to fill the vacancy has attracted considerable interest, with reports indicating more than 60 aspirants have expressed interest in the position.
The ruling house’s response underscores persistent sensitivities around traditional leadership transitions and the interpretation of customary and statutory laws governing chieftaincy selections. Both customary institutions and aspirants are expected to continue engagement as the selection process advances and state authorities oversee compliance with due process.
