Fuji music icon, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, has defended his bid for the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, insisting that he is a legitimate prince with ancestral rights to the throne.
K1, who last week formally declared interest in succeeding the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, made the assertion in a video posted on his YouTube channel in response to critics questioning his royal eligibility. His declaration, contained in a letter dated December 3 and addressed to the chairman of the Funsengbuwa Ruling House, has generated widespread debate across Ijebu communities and on social media.
In the video, the Fuji legend maintained that his lineage qualifies him to vie for the revered royal position.
“Those who gave birth to me know me, and I also know them. I’m from a royal lineage,” he said. “I’m from the Fidipote ruling house and also from the Funsengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu-Ode. So whoever wants to question me, we’ll meet at the field. If it is because of my declaration for the throne, it is my right. You can’t silence me.”
K1 argued that the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died in December after a 64-year reign, was aware of his royal heritage and would not have conferred on him two significant traditional titles in 2023 if he were not qualified.
“If I’m not from a royal lineage, I wouldn’t have been installed as the Olori Omo-Oba and Otunba Afidipotemole of Akile Ijebu by the late Awujale,” he said.
He further stated that both his paternal and maternal ancestries contain royal bloodlines, reinforcing what he called his “right to the Awujale stool.”
Appealing for calm among Ijebu indigenes, K1 stressed that the contest for the throne should not cause division.
“To all Ijebu people, the matter on ground does not call for a fight. When a good thing is to happen to someone, it first comes with controversies. God will reveal the truth to us all,” he said. “All princes, we are all one. We shouldn’t be fighting against ourselves.”
K1 added that this would be the last time he would publicly address the issue, noting that whoever emerges as Awujale among the eligible princes must be supported for the progress of Ijebuland.
The Awujale stool is one of the oldest and most influential traditional institutions in Nigeria, revered across the Yoruba-speaking world. The late Oba Sikiru Adetona, who ascended the throne in 1960, was regarded as one of the longest-reigning monarchs in African history and played a key role in modernising the Ijebu kingdom.
Following his passing, attention shifted to the ruling houses traditionally entitled to present candidates for succession, among them the Fidipote, Funsengbuwa and other royal families of Ijebu-Ode. The selection process is typically supervised by kingmakers, with input from the ruling house whose turn it is to produce the next Awujale.
K1’s declaration has ignited public interest due to his prominence as a global Fuji music superstar and his longstanding relationship with the late monarch, who bestowed on him notable chieftaincy titles.
However, several stakeholders and traditional observers have questioned whether celebrity status should play any role in the succession process, insisting that lineage, tradition and consensus remain paramount.
The kingmakers are expected to begin formal consultations once the ruling house whose turn it is submits its list of eligible princes.
