Popular Fuji musician and Olori Omooba of Ijebu land, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM1, has written to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, alleging his exclusion from the ongoing process to select the next Awujale of Ijebu land.
In the petition, Ayinde accused the Fusengbuwa ruling house—next in line to produce the Awujale—of issuing directives that allegedly violate the Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State, with the aim of disenfranchising him from contesting for the throne.
The allegations were conveyed in a letter dated January 8, 2026, written by Ayinde’s lawyer, Dr. Wahab Shittu (SAN), and addressed to the governor.
The race for the Awujale stool has reportedly drawn over 60 aspirants, including Ayinde, who has publicly declared interest. However, the Fusengbuwa family has maintained that the musician is not a member of the ruling house and is therefore ineligible to participate in the selection process.
Ayinde had earlier approached the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu Ode, seeking an interim injunction to restrain Governor Abiodun and six others from proceeding with the selection. The court dismissed the application for lack of merit, after which the musician withdrew the suit without explanation.
In the latest letter to the governor, Ayinde said the Ijebu Ode Local Government, through a letter dated January 6, 2026, signed by its Secretary, Oke Adebanjo, approved the commencement of the selection process by the ruling house.
He expressed concern that while family members were preparing for a meeting, the family’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 Ayinde, the directive fixed the nomination exercise for Monday, January 12, 2026, but also stated that nominations would be conducted by delegates to be selected at a meeting held on January 10, 2026.
The letter warned that the directives contradicted existing chieftaincy laws and were designed to deny eligible members their rights to participate in the nomination process.
“It is evident that there are plans to disenfranchise members who wish to participate in the nomination of candidates for the Awujale stool,” the letter read. “All members of the ruling house are entitled to attend the meeting and nominate candidates of their choice. No group has the right to usurp these powers.”
Ayinde’s lawyer urged the governor to intervene promptly to ensure due process and protect his client’s rights.
Reacting, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, confirmed receipt of the letter but dismissed its contents as baseless.
Describing the petition as “misguided,” Yusuf said the issue of screening was being misrepresented, noting that the ruling house has over 20,000 members and could not accommodate all of them in a single nomination exercise.
The Fusengbuwa family has scheduled the nomination meeting for Monday, January 12, 2026.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died at the age of 91 after a 65-year reign.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Ogun State Government were unsuccessful, as the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the governor, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, had not responded to enquiries as of the time of filing this report.
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