Renowned Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has again written to Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, protesting his alleged exclusion from the ongoing process to select the next Awujale of Ijebuland and calling for the nullification of the nomination exercise to forestall prolonged legal disputes.
In a fresh letter dated January 14, 2026, the musician, through his counsel, Dr. Wahab Shittu, urged the governor to declare the Fusengbuwa Ruling House nomination meeting held on Monday, January 12, 2026, null and void. He alleged that the exercise violated provisions of the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, 2021.
Ayinde faulted what he described as the imposition of a “delegate system” and the alleged physical exclusion of certain members of the ruling house from the meeting by a faction within the family.
According to him, the actions amounted to an arbitrary and ultra vires exercise of authority, undermining the statutory duty of the ruling house to conduct an open, inclusive and transparent nomination process.
He maintained that following the death of the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, it was the turn of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to present candidates for the revered stool.
The musician disclosed that the Secretary of Ijebu Ode Local Government, in a letter dated January 6, 2026, had directed members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to convene a statutory meeting to nominate candidates in line with the customary laws of Ijebuland and Ogun State chieftaincy regulations.
However, Ayinde alleged that the process was compromised.
He stated that on January 12, 2026, at Bisrod Hotel, Ijebu Ode, the designated venue for the nomination exercise, he and several other eligible members of the ruling house were deliberately barred from entering the venue.
According to the letter, heavily armed security personnel, including police operatives, were stationed at the venue and allegedly used to disenfranchise legitimate members of the family.
“Entry was restricted through the issuance of special cards to purported delegates selected by a faction within the ruling house. This delegate system was unilaterally introduced and never agreed to by our client or other excluded members, who insist on their right to participate directly in the statutory meeting,” the letter added.
Ayinde, who is also the Olori Omooba of Ijebuland, insisted that any nomination exercise conducted without the full and free participation of all eligible members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House was procedurally defective, unlawful and therefore null and void.
In the interest of peace, justice and the preservation of traditional institutions, he called on the governor to declare the January 12 nomination exercise invalid and to order a fresh, transparent and inclusive meeting. He also requested that all eligible members of the ruling house be allowed to participate in any new exercise without discrimination or hindrance.
Meanwhile, 95 contestants, comprising 94 princes and one princess from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, reportedly emerged from the nomination meeting held at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu Ode.
The exercise was said to have been presided over by the Chairman of the ruling house, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi; his deputy, Prince Adedokun Ajidagba; and the Vice Chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, with the Secretary to the Ijebu Ode Local Government, Abiodun Oke, and other officials present as observers.
The process of selecting a new Awujale has continued to attract widespread attention, with Ayinde openly declaring his intention to contest for the throne.
However, the Fusengbuwa family had earlier maintained that the musician is not a member of the ruling house and is therefore not qualified to participate in the process.
Ayinde had also approached the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu Ode, seeking an interim injunction to restrain the governor and six others from continuing with the selection process. The court dismissed the application as lacking merit, after which the suit was withdrawn without explanation.
In an earlier letter dated January 8, 2026, also addressed to Governor Abiodun, the musician had criticised the adoption of a delegate system, arguing that fixing the nomination for January 12 while scheduling the selection of delegates for January 10 was a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise interested members of the ruling house.
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