The Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode has declined a request by Fuji music star, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM1, to halt the ongoing process for selecting and installing the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, Justice A.A. Omoniyi dismissed the musician’s application for an interim injunction seeking to restrain Governor Dapo Abiodun and other parties from proceeding with the traditional succession exercise. The court held that the application lacked sufficient merit and failed to disclose compelling grounds to warrant such extraordinary relief.
Ayinde, who was represented by senior advocate Wahab Shittu, had approached the court to stop the process pending the determination of a substantive suit challenging the manner in which the Awujale selection is being handled. He argued that without the injunction, his interest in the revered stool could be irreparably damaged.
However, the judge took a contrary view, ruling that the circumstances presented did not justify freezing the process. In a forward-looking move to avoid undue delay, Justice Omoniyi ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit and fixed 14 January 2026 for further proceedings.
The legal dispute arose after KWAM1 declared his intention to vie for the vacant Awujale stool, asserting that he is of royal lineage from the Jadiara Royal House within the broader Fusengbuwa Ruling House. That claim was swiftly rejected by the Fusengbuwa ruling house, which maintained that the musician does not belong to the royal family eligible for the throne.
Feeling short-changed, Ayinde instituted a suit against the ruling house and key government officials involved in chieftaincy matters. The defendants include the Ogun State Governor, the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the council’s secretary and the chairman of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council.
In the ex parte application, filed under relevant provisions of the Ogun State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2024 and the 1999 Constitution, Ayinde urged the court to preserve the status quo and prevent what he described as an irreversible installation process.
