The succession process for the revered Awujale of Ijebu land took a dramatic turn on Thursday as the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode formally rejected the royal lineage claim submitted by Fuji maestro, Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, popularly known as KWAM 1, declaring his Awujale nomination documents “null, void, and of no consequence.”
In a strongly worded letter dated December 11, 2025, and addressed directly to the musician, the ruling house said its independent inquiries failed to establish any verifiable genealogical link between Ayinde and the Jadiara Royal House — one of the branches under the broader Fusengbuwa dynasty, which statutorily holds the right to produce the next Awujale following the passage of Oba Sikiru Adetona in May.
The letter, signed by the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, stressed that the musician’s submission not only lacked credible ancestral proof but also raised procedural and ethical concerns that could undermine the integrity of the selection process.
A major point of contention is the certification of Ayinde’s lineage form, which the ruling house said was authenticated by “a purported family unit head,” one Adetayo Abayomi Oduneye, whom the ruling house insists is neither recognised nor documented as a member of the Jadiara Royal House.
According to the statement, the ruling house’s genealogical verification team could not trace Oduneye to any branch of the Fusengbuwa bloodline, raising suspicions about the authenticity of his endorsement.
The house also flagged what it termed a glaring procedural anomaly: the form presented by the Fuji musician was reportedly certified on December 8, 2025, yet Ayinde himself did not sign the same document until December 10, 2025.
Describing the submission as “presigned”, the ruling house said the timeline discrepancy casts doubt on the credibility of the entire documentation and violates the standard guidelines for the Awujale nomination process.
The letter emphasised that exhaustive checks had been conducted, including consultations with recognised family elders, custodians of lineage records, and traditional historians of the Ijebu kingdom. After the review, the ruling house concluded that “no proof, oral or written, places Wasiu Ayinde Marshall within the Jadiara Royal House or any branch of the Fusengbuwa lineage.”
The ruling house therefore declared the form he submitted for the Awujale stool “invalid in substance and in procedure,” cautioning that the sanctity of the selection process must be preserved.
KWAM 1’s purported claim to royal ancestry had generated widespread public interest, given his long-standing closeness to the late Awujale and his influential stature within Ijebuland. However, Thursday’s development now casts significant doubt on the legitimacy of his bid — if he ever intended to pursue the throne.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House maintained that only legitimate descendants of the Jadiara Royal House are eligible to participate in the screening and nomination exercise already underway, and that it would resist any attempt to “politicise or commercialise” the sacred selection process.
As of press time, the Fuji musician had not responded publicly to the ruling house’s declaration.
