Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1, has filed a suit at the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu Ode, seeking to halt the ongoing process to install a new Awujale of Ijebuland.
The suit, filed on December 16, requests the court to issue an injunction suspending all actions relating to the nomination and installation of a new monarch pending the determination of the substantive case before it.
KWAM 1 named several government officials and traditional authorities as respondents, including the Ogun State governor, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, and the attorney general and commissioner for justice.
Also joined in the suit are the secretary of the Ijebu Ode Local Government Area, the chairman of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, and the chairman of the Funsengbuwa ruling house.
In his application, the musician argued that he is a bona fide member of both the Funsengbuwa ruling house and the Fidipote ruling house, which he said is the ruling house entitled by rotational custom to produce the next Awujale.
He maintained that his interests and rights as a potential candidate require legal protection, insisting that the nomination process is being improperly influenced by an “unrecognized body” known as the Awujale interregnum administrative council.
KWAM 1 contended that the involvement of the council violates the stipulated procedures under the Ogun State chieftaincy law, arguing that due process is being bypassed in the succession exercise.
He further cited a legal requirement mandating the Ijebu Ode Local Government Area to formally publish the names of the 13 recognised kingmakers before any selection process can commence, a step he claimed has not been properly followed.
The royal stool became vacant following the death of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona in July at the age of 91, after a historic 64 year reign.
Earlier in December, KWAM 1 formally submitted a proposal indicating his interest in being considered for the vacant position.
Since making his interest public, his eligibility has generated intense debate, particularly on social media, with questions raised over whether he is an indigene of Ijebuland.
Ayinde has argued that the late monarch would never have conferred on him the prestigious chieftaincy title of Olori Omo Oba if he were not of authentic royal descent.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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