KWAM1 Loses Court Bid to Halt Awujale Selection Process in Ijebuland
The Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode has refused an application by renowned Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, widely known as KWAM1, to halt the ongoing process for the selection and installation of a new Awujale of Ijebuland. The ruling, delivered on Monday by Justice A. A. Omoniyi, denied the musician’s request for an interim injunction aimed at restraining Governor Dapo Abiodun and other respondents from proceeding with the traditional exercise.
KWAM1, who was represented by senior advocate Wahab Shittu (SAN), had approached the court seeking an interim order pending the determination of a substantive suit he filed to challenge the legitimacy of the selection process. He argued that the injunction was necessary to protect his interest as an aspirant to the Awujale stool and to preserve the subject matter of the dispute from being altered or rendered futile.
However, Justice Omoniyi held that the application lacked sufficient merit and failed to establish compelling grounds for the extraordinary relief sought. The court ruled that the circumstances presented did not justify the granting of an interim injunction capable of disrupting an established traditional and administrative process. In line with this position, the judge dismissed the application and ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit.
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The court subsequently fixed 14 January 2026 for the commencement of proceedings on the main case, signalling that while the injunction was refused, the issues raised by the claimant would still be examined in full during the substantive hearing.
KWAM1’s legal action stems from his declared interest in the vacant Awujale stool following the demise of the former monarch. The musician claims royal lineage from the Jadiara Royal House, which he says is part of the broader Fusengbuwa Ruling House traditionally entitled to present candidates for the Awujale throne.
This claim, however, has been firmly rejected by the Fusengbuwa ruling house, which maintains that Ayinde is not a recognised member of the royal family and is therefore not eligible to contest for the stool. The ruling house’s position forms the crux of the dispute now before the court.
In response to what he described as an unjust exclusion, Ayinde instituted legal proceedings against multiple parties connected to the chieftaincy process. The respondents include the Fusengbuwa ruling house; the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat; the Secretary of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Oke Adebanjo; and the Chairman of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, Dr Olorogun Sunny Kuku.
The suit, referenced as HC3/238/2025, was filed ex parte and anchored on relevant provisions of the Ogun State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2024, Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the court’s inherent jurisdiction. Ayinde urged the court to restrain the respondents, their agents, or anyone acting on their behalf from taking further steps toward installing a new Awujale until the determination of the substantive case.
With the interim injunction now refused, the traditional process for selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland is expected to proceed, subject to any future court orders that may arise from the substantive hearing. The ruling has drawn significant public attention, reflecting the sensitive intersection of tradition, law, and public influence in contemporary chieftaincy matters.
As the January 2026 hearing approaches, legal observers note that the court will be required to carefully weigh customary law, established lineage claims, and statutory provisions governing chieftaincy affairs in Ogun State. The outcome of the substantive case will ultimately determine whether KWAM1’s claim to royal ancestry holds legal and customary weight, or whether the selection process will continue without further judicial interruption.