By Lagos Panorama Desk
December 23, 2025
Fuji music icon Otunba Wasiu Ayinde Marshall, popularly known as KWAM 1 (K1 De Ultimate), has formally withdrawn from the race for the Awujale of Ijebuland, bringing an end to his legal challenge against the ongoing selection process for the revered traditional throne.
The celebrated musician filed a notice of discontinuation at the Ogun State High Court, Ijebu-Ode, on Monday, December 22, 2025, effectively closing the suit he instituted over his exclusion from the contest. The notice was submitted by his legal team led by Dr Wahab Shittu, SAN.
KWAM 1’s decision followed a ruling by Justice A.A. Omoniyi of High Court 3, Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division, which dismissed his application for an interim injunction seeking to halt the selection process. The court held that the application lacked merit, though it allowed the substantive suit to proceed and fixed January 14, 2026, for further hearing.
Despite that opening, the Fuji star opted to discontinue the case entirely, effectively ending his bid for the Awujale stool through legal means.
KWAM 1, who holds the traditional title of Olori Omooba of Ijebuland and is from the Fidipote Ruling House, had approached the court after the Fusengbuwa Ruling House declared him ineligible to contest for the throne. The ruling house maintained that the musician was not a bona fide member of its lineage and therefore could not vie for the Awujale stool under its platform.
His disqualification and subsequent court action had sparked intense debate within Ijebu traditional circles, given his prominence as one of Nigeria’s most celebrated musicians and a notable figure in Ijebu cultural life.
With the withdrawal of the suit, the legal chapter of KWAM 1’s ambition appears closed, clearing the way for the continuation of the selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebuland, one of the most influential traditional institutions in Yorubaland.
