The Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu-Ode has publicly disowned Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM1), stating that he is not part of their lineage and therefore cannot contest for the vacant Awujale throne.
The nomination of candidates to succeed the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona—who passed away in July after a 65-year reign—has been scheduled for December 15. The shortlisted names will then be forwarded to the kingmakers, who have seven days to select the next monarch.
Speaking at a press briefing in Ile Nla on Thursday, the spokesperson of the Fusengbuwa Nomination Committee, Abiodun Ogidan, said Ayinde’s claim of belonging to the ruling house was false. He revealed that the family had reviewed the lineage form submitted by the musician and concluded that he had no ancestral connection to the Fusengbuwa royal line.
Ogidan said:
“From what he wrote in his lineage data form, it has been confirmed that he is not a member of the Fusengbuwa ruling house. He was also never issued an Awujale nomination form, as the forms had closed before he began claiming family ties. He has never been part of our meetings or contributed to the family in any way.”
He accused the entertainer of attempting to “rewrite history,” insisting the family would not accept what he described as a fabricated lineage.
The meeting, chaired by Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, was attended by senior members of the Fusengbuwa royal structure, including Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, Prof. Fassy Yusuf and Prof. Lasun Gbadamosi.
Another branch of the royal structure—the Oduneye family—also rejected Ayinde’s claim. Speaking on behalf of the family, Alhaja Adesumbo Oduneye said they were surprised to see that the lineage form submitted by the musician was signed by her half-brother, Adetayo Oduneye, who she said had no authority to represent the family.
She emphasized that Ayinde has no genealogical link with the Oduneye or Jadiara ruling families, describing the document submitted on his behalf as misleading.
“We were shocked to see the form signed by Adetayo. He is one of us but not the head of the family. Whatever he is doing is unknown to us. Wasiu Ayinde is not from the Jadiara family by any means,” she said.
The lineage form in question was reportedly signed by Adetayo Oduneye, who claimed to lead the Setejoye unit—a claim the Oduneye family also disputed.
Last week, KWAM1 openly expressed interest in becoming the next Awujale, claiming descent from the Jadiara ruling house, a sub-unit of the Fusengbuwa family, whose turn it is to produce the next monarch.
