It’s my right to be Awujale – Kwam 1; You have no such link to Ijebu royalty – Ruling House members

By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Abeokuta

Such thinkers may have hit the rock as they are told that Ijebu Land – like any other Yoruba Land – is not Lagos where that happens, as counters to such expressions submitted that there is no South West Kingdom including in Osun where what Tinubu has done to culture, customs and traditions – even politics – of Lagos State and gets away with it can be possibly achieved.

Following recent declaration of intent laying claim to the royalty of the all-important Yoruba ancestral land as the next Awujale of Ijebu Land, Fuji music star and Maiyegun of Yoruba Land, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose, a.k.a. K1 De Ultimate and KWAM1, has been told why his intention to ascend the throne cannot fly.

The DEFENDER reports that KWAM 1, in a letter of intent circulating online recently, had traced his ancestry to the Oba Jadiara lineage of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, which is the only currently qualified house to produce successor to the throne after the demise of His Imperial Majesty Oba Sikiru Kayode ADETONA, Agbotewole II.

He said that he had dedicated five decades of his life to promotion of Ijebu,Yoruba and Nigerian culture through His Fuji music. There have been speculations of Wasiu coming to succeed lately Oba Adetona, circulated by people with mentality of “President Bola Tinubu can install king anywhere”.

Such thinkers may have hit the rock as they are told that Ijebu Land – like any other Yoruba Land – is not Lagos where that happens, as counters to such expressions submitted that there is no South West Kingdom including in Osun where what Tinubu has done to culture, customs and traditions – even politics – of Lagos State and gets away with it can be possibly achieved.

From available records, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose KWAM I was not listed among potential successors to the Awujale stool because he is said to be from the Fidipote Ruling House and not Fusegbuwa, where the next Awujale will emerge. Others say there is even no link between him and royalty of any sort in Ijebu Land though confirm his paternity as that of Ijebu-Ode and maternity to be of Ekiti State from Ilupeju Ekiti but with no traces of royal connection on both sides, yet he is currently the Olori Om’oba of Ijebu Land.

However, since his Ruling House is not the next, he may not be considered unless otherwise politically influenced “from the powers that be”, which is not likely going to happen successfully as the sitting government, Dapo Abiodun, himself a blue blood of Iperu Remo in the Ijebu lineage, will not let the culture and tradition collapse on him.

Commenting, Princess Morenike Alebiosu from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House wrote on her Facebook timeline saying, “Suddenly their Grandmas are from Jadiara/Fushengbuwa. Ibi ti e je Otunba si le maa ti di Durowojuade. Ijebu kii je Marshal.

Asipa Adedoyin Banjo House of Fusengbuwa also wrote, “On the Awujale of Ijebu issue; I feel like hitting Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose real hard but some of his children are my aburo.

“Anyway, we trust God to intervene in the affairs of men, when men are helpless.

“If he claims to be qualified because he is a descendant of Oba Jadiara that ruled between 1660 and 1675, then he should come out with his family tree that lumped the Fidipote Royal Family with the Fusengbuwa Royal Family.

“In his first Fuji album, he clearly referred to himself as scion of Fidipote Royal Family of Ijebu Ode.”

The Agoro-Odunsi let to Oloriebi Lateef Owoyemi, Governor Abiodun, others

In a joint letter addressed to the Olori Ebi and members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House
care of Otunba Abdul-Lateef Adebayo Owoyemi, and the Venerable Odis and Kingmakers of Ijebu Land care of The Olisa of Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Ode Traditional Council, as well as His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, a clear warning was given as to why nobody should be allowed to destroy the cherished institution of the Land.

According to the letter titled, “Urgent Imperative to Safeguard the Sanctity of the Awujale Stool – A Call to Reject Anomalous Declarations and Uphold Genealogical Integrity in the Nomination Process”, and signed by Omo Oba Salami Agoro-Odunsi, Royal fathers, elders and honourable leaders were sent an appeal.

“I write to you today, as a proud Omooba of the Bubiade Royal House – a venerable branch of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the rightful custodian of the sacred Awujale stool in this rotational cycle – with a heart heavy yet resolute in defence of our cherished Ijebu traditions.

“The purported declaration of interest by Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Adewale Olasunkanmi Omogbolahan Anifowoshe (popularly known as KWAM 1 or King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall), dated December 3, 2025, claiming eligibility through a linkage to the Oba Jadiara family, constitutes a grave affront to the customs that have preserved the dignity of the throne for centuries. With the 14-day ultimatum issued by the Ijebu-Ode Local Government on December 3, 2025, for the submission of nominees following the glorious transition of our late Paramount Ruler, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, Ogbagba Agbotewole II, on July 13, 2025, we must act decisively to protect the process,” he wrote.

Unbreakable rotational order and genealogical prerequisites

He continues, “The selection of the Awujale is governed by the registered Declaration under the Chiefs Law, which recognises only four Ruling Houses in strict rotation: Anikinaiya → Fusengbuwa (current turn) → Fidipote → Gbelegbuwa. The process begins exclusively within the entitled Ruling House. Only male princes of direct paternal descent from one of its recognised branches may be nominated. Maternal royal linkages, however honourable, confer no eligibility unless no qualified paternal-line prince exists – a contingency invoked only in the most extreme circumstances to preserve patrilineal continuity.

“The Fusengbuwa Ruling House, under the confirmed leadership of Olori-Ebi Otunba Abdul-Lateef Adedayo Owoyemi, comprises four historic branches: Jadiara (the eldest), Fusengbuwa proper, Bubiade (my own noble line), and Tunwase. Eligibility demands clear, verifiable, and unbroken paternal descent from one of these branches, documented and scrutinised at every stage.”

KWAM 1’s Claim: A genealogical impossibility

According to Omo Oba Salami-Agoro, “Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde was born on March 3, 1957, in Agarawu, Lagos Island, to Alhaji Ayinde Anifowoshe, a trader from Ijebu-Ode of non-royal parentage, and a mother from Ilupeju-Ekiti in present-day Ondo State. No known family record, oral history, or archival evidence links his paternal line to Oba Jadiara or any branch of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House. His widely celebrated chieftaincy titles – including Otunba Afidipotemole of Ijebu-Ode – explicitly tie him to the Fidipote Ruling House (third in rotation), not Fusengbuwa. A claim to the Jadiara lineage at this stage is therefore factually unsustainable and constitutionally inadmissible.”

The integrity of any Oloriebi who issued the declaration form

He said, “The declaration form is not a mere piece of paper; it is the first sacred filter in the nomination process, issued only after preliminary verification of paternal royal descent. Though the circulated document is a signed letter and not the declaration form from any of our esteemed Oloriebis, If any Oloriebi sold or issued this form to an individual with no verifiable claim to Fusengbuwa, that act constitutes a serious breach of trust, an undermining of the family’s hard-won unity, and a dangerous precedent that opens the door to the commercialisation of royal entitlement. Such conduct demands immediate investigation and appropriate sanction to restore confidence in the process.

The catastrophic consequences of allowing this anomaly

“To entertain a candidature from outside the entitled Ruling House, or from an individual lacking paternal royal descent, would:

“• Violate the registered Declaration and invite protracted litigation

“• Fracture the rotational principle that has maintained peace among the Ruling Houses since 1959

“• Encourage opportunism and the emergence of “strangers to the throne”

“• Erode public confidence in our traditional institutions;

“• Diminish the moral authority of the next Awujale before he even ascends the stool.

“Our late Kabiyesi spent 65 years building a legacy of progress, unity, and respect for tradition. We dare not repay that legacy by reducing the sacred stool to a platform for celebrity or personal ambition.

“I respectfully urge the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to reject this declaration outright, the Odis to subject every nomination to the strictest genealogical scrutiny, and His Excellency the Governor to ensure that only candidates who fully satisfy the provisions of the registered Declaration are forwarded for consideration. Let us honour the memory of Oba Sikiru Adetona by enthroning a prince who is indisputably thoroughbred, humbly qualified, and divinely guided.

“May Olodumare grant us wisdom, and may the spirits of our ancestors guard the throne of Ijebuland. With utmost respect and unshakeable loyalty to Ijebu traditions,” Omo Oba Salami Agoro-Odunsi concluded.

KWAM I’s letter came after the royal staff (Opa Ase Awujale) was already in Fusengbuwa Ruling House and it is only an Omo Oba from the bloodline of Fusengbuwa family who will subsequently move to Aafin Awujale with the Opa Ase.

Commencement of installation process

This is the commencement of the pragmatic step to the enthronement of the new Awujale of Ijebu Land with the arrival of the Royal Staff of Office to the Fusegbunwa Ruling House Ule Nla at Agunsebi Quarters.

The ‘Staff of Office’ for Awujale of Ijebu Land was brought by Ogbeni Odi Onigbeden, accompanied by Ijebu Ode Local Government Secretary who is representing the Chairman of the council, Hon Dare Alebiosu and the state Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON.

The Ijebu-Ode Local Government has equally issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to submit their nominated candidates.

The combined Oloriebis witnessed the procedure of receiving the Staff of Office and listened to the address by the Secretary of Ijebu Ode, Hon Adebanjo Abiodun Oke, as a new era about to begin in Ijebu Land.

The He has, however, been met with stuff opposition to his ambition from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House by members who have been providing detailed explanation why he cannot be Awujale especially now.