Mr Viral
When popstar, Innocent Idibia, aka 2baba, announced that his marriage to actress and reality show star, Annie (nee Macaulay), had ended, it unlocked a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations. TOFARATI IGE takes a look at the genesis of the once admired union and the intrigues that marked its chequered history leading to its anticlimactic end
The announcement
On Sunday, January 26, 2025, 2baba ended a fairy tale that many had come to love for years. In a terse post on social media, he announced that he and Annie, his wife of almost 12 years, had gone their separate ways.
He wrote, “Hello to my beautiful people of all federations. Well, this thing I have to say is short but also long…I and Annie Macaulay have been separated for a while now. And currently filed (sic) divorce…I would grant a press release soon to say my story…not because it is anyone’s right to know about my personal life; but because I love my people and I need them to know my innocence or offense. Stay blessed, my people. I love you all.”
Though the post was later deleted, with the claim that his account had been hacked, the singer put out a video, asserting that he was the one who made the initial post.
Back and forth
A source close to the couple told Saturday Beats exclusively that some members of the singer’s team were not pleased that he made the information public at that time. According to the source, in a bid to carry out some form of damage control, they had to claim that his account was hacked.
“Those close to the Idibia family know that all has not been well for some time. They have just been patching things up. As a matter of fact, some members of his team were not happy that the singer made the announcement in that manner on Sunday. That’s why another person quickly posted from the same account, claiming that it had been hacked.
“But you could see that 2baba himself later posted another video maintaining that his account was not hacked.
“However, they have reached an agreement that he should not post anything else, and not grant any interview.
“I am close to both 2baba and Annie, and I love them both. I don’t want to say anything that might be misconstrued to mean that I’m taking sides with one person against the other.”
Buttressing our source’s claim, Tiwa Savage’s former husband and manager, Tunji Balogun, aka Teebillz, in an interview with Daddy Freeze, stated that the singer should not be blamed for the action he took, because he was in the best position to know what he was facing in his marriage.
Using his divorce story as an example, Teezillz described 2baba as a pipe that had been withstanding pressure for so long until he could not take it again.
The popstar and his African Queen
Tall and lanky, with the look of an innocent teenager (no pun intended), 2face (as he was then known) was every girl’s dream. His silky voice added to his charm, and it was no wonder that music lovers— both male and female— could not get enough of him and his songs.
Formerly with the popular boy band, Plantashun Boiz, 2face and his former group members— Augustine Ahmedu (Blackfaze) and Chibuzor Oji (Faze)— held sway from the late 90s to the early 2000s before they went their separate ways.
But, it was after he went solo, that 2face truly embraced superstardom. His debut solo album, ‘Face 2 Face’, topped charts and garnered international acclaim. By far the most popular song on the album— ‘African Queen’— further cemented his status as a heartthrob and sex symbol, particularly among black women all over the world.
It was in the video for ‘African Queen’ that many got to know about the young singer’s then girlfriend, Annie Macaulay, who was also a budding actress.
They seemed to be a match made in heaven and many were enamoured by their love story. It was reported that Annie was 2face’s first love, and that they had been involved right from when she was a teenager. It was also alleged that she contributed a lot, including finances, to the growth of his career. Thus, many naturally assumed that they would walk down the aisle someday. It was only just a matter of time, their admirers reckoned.
Era of baby mothers
However, like a Nollywood movie, the love story soon developed several shocking twists.
Gossip magazines and tabloids had a field day reporting that 2face had impregnated a popular make-up artiste and socialite, Pero Adeniyi. Barely had the public recovered from the “shock” before it was reported that the singer had put another woman, Sunmbo Adeoye (nee Ajaba), in the family way.
All the while, Annie was still in the picture and many of their fans and admirers could not make sense of the weird drama that seemed to be unravelling before their eyes. Amidst the intrigues, Annie also had a daughter for the singer.
Some years down the line, the baby count had climbed to an astonishing six children from three different women. By this time, 2face had become the butt of jokes of comedians, actors and even fellow singers. In some quarters, he was even held up as a poster boy for promiscuity and recklessness in the entertainment industry.
A fairytale wedding
Like a well-scripted Hollywood romance blockbuster, 2face and Annie got married in 2013, making many excited on their behalf.
It seemed to be the perfect climax for a love story that had been marked by several intrigues.
Several admirers of the coupled expressed joy that true love had apparently prevailed. Annie was hailed for sticking to 2face amidst the baby mama dramas, even though she met him first. On the other hand, 2face was lauded for making a honest woman out of Annie at a time when many had already subjected her to ridicule.
Their fairy-tale wedding was in two parts — Nigeria and Dubai. The traditional leg of the nuptials took place in Annie’s native Akwa Ibom State, and it was well attended by several celebrities and dignitaries, including the then governor and current Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who gifted the lovebirds a Toyota Prado SUV.
The second part of the wedding took place in faraway Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The event which held at the Jumeirah Beach Resort was also well attended by several celebrities who travelled from Nigeria to celebrate with the couple on their special day.
The marriage after
All seemed to be going well in the couple’s marriage for many years, with public displays of attention and support for each other’s careers.
Though there were reports that Annie and Pero did not get on well, co-parenting seemed to be working fine, as 2face was sometimes pictured with the kids he had with both Pero and Sunmbo. By then, Sunmbo had moved on and had got married to a cleric, Pastor David Adeoye. However, Pero was still single, and sources close to the couple said that was the reason for Annie’s fear. They alleged that she constantly kept an eye on Pero, who she was suspicious of.’
Her suspicion appeared to be validated when in 2015, a picture of 2face planting a passionate kiss on Pero’s lips went viral on the Internet.
Reacting to the picture, Annie put out a statement saying, “I am aware of the photos circulating (sic) the Internet with my husband and Pero Adeniyi. I want to state officially that I was not in that space at that time and therefore there was no confrontation between myself and Pero Adeniyi.
“Pero Adeniyi and this momentary indiscretion pose no threat whatsoever to my relationship with my husband. As a matter of fact, for all of our children’s’ sake, I do encourage cordial relationships with parties involved.
“This year, my focus is solely on God, family and my career which doesn’t give me the luxury of paying attention to any distractions.”
In yet another plot twist, the pair seemed to mend fences when at a “reconciliation meeting” that took place at Ikeja, Lagos, in 2018, both women made up and hugged in a warm embrace. In a video of the incident that circulated on social media, 2baba could be seen crying profusely, obviously happy that two of the important women in his life had agreed to bury the hatchet and move on.
Cracks appear
Like a TV series with several seasons, little did many know that the drama had not ended.
In September 2021, Annie took to social media to claim that 2face had travelled to the United States to be with Pero and his kids, after he lied to her that he was going for a “shoot”.
She wrote, “What kind of man takes his kids to Disney and spends nights in the same apartment with his kids and their mother? How many times have you gone to see your kids with Pero and she stays with you and the kids under the same roof for nights?”
“I try to stay gracious. You are not the first man on the planet to have kids by different women. You can do better. Everything I do is to show the good human that you are,” she also wrote.
In a voice recording that went viral at the time, Annie could be heard angrily vowing to “scatter everything” because 2baba’s manager and cousin had conspired to help her husband be with Pero in the US.
Denying Annie’s claims that 2baba was with her, Pero later said in an interview with popular journalist, Stella Dimoko-Korkus, “I heard he came to America in August but we didn’t see each other. It’s not every time he comes to America that we see. His brother lives there, so it’s possible that he may have gone there to stay with him.
“My boyfriend was even with me the last time I heard 2Baba was supposed to be with me and I was quite shocked and wondered if there are two Peros.
“When that story broke, I got so many calls that woke me up that I had to make calls to find out what was wrong. I called his manager and he told me, ‘Pero this is not about you’. If it was not about me, why is my name mentioned?”
She also stated that she had maintained a distance from 2baba because of Annie. “I had not even spoken to him for about four months before I was woken up with calls to go and see I am trending online because Annie mentioned that he had run off to stay with me in America. We don’t really talk and we are not friends. It is because of this same reason that I have stayed away from him,” she said.
Pero went on to sue Annie to the tune of N200m for libel and defamation.
The singer’s brother, Charles, also lashed out at Annie, claiming that she had been hostile to his family members, and that she was often at loggerheads with 2baba over the latter’s relationship with Pero and their kids.
In one of several posts on Instagram, he wrote, “Your husband has his wahala (trouble) but is that going to be your solution to this complicated situation life has thrown at you? Is it when you stab him in the chest while he sleeps over a call from Pero demanding he speaks to his kids in the middle of the night due to the time difference from the US for example that you will have peace. When he is dead, then what? You would be right and we would be wrong then what?’’
He also alleged that Annie mistreated 2baba’s mother, and always wanted to keep him away from his siblings and other family members because she believed that they were after his money.
After the dust had settled, Annie went back to social media to apologise for her outbursts. She wrote, “To my beautiful mothers… my amazing mother and my beautiful mother in- law…I am sooo sorry I let both of you down… no mother should go through the kind of pain that you both felt…I am really sorry (I am still your baby). I am far from perfect, but I have decided to choose peace, and I wanna (sic) do better, given the chance.”
Family crisis
Revealing a deeply fractured family, Annie’s elder brother, Wisdom, also took to social media to allege that she introduced him to illicit drugs.
Appearing dishevelled and barefoot in a video that went viral on social media, Wisdom also alleged that Annie was manipulative, and had refused to help him after several pleas. He also hinted that though he worked as her manager for some time, he did not get his due remuneration.
It is pertinent to note, however, that Wisdom later claimed that his allegations were false, and were caused by depression and frustration.
The reality show that broke the camel’s back
While there have been many comments, analysis and opinions shared about what could have been responsible for the deterioration of the marriage, some have pointed an accusing finger at the reality show, ‘Young, Famous and African’, which Annie currently appears in.
Some members of the public hold the opinion that the reality show helped to magnify the cracks in the marriage.
In recent weeks, after the third season of the show premiered on January 15, 2025, many netizens had speculated that Annie was addicted to drugs, pointing to her “twitching hands, erratic behavior and sometimes unkempt look” as evidences.
In one of the earlier episodes, she noted that she had been humiliated and embarrassed severally on account of 2baba’s children outside wedlock. She also expressed dismay that though she met him “before everybody else”, her first child was his fifth.
Showing faith that they would stay married for the rest of their lives, Annie ended the conversation by saying, “It’s all pain, hurt…but, like I always say, that the good times are so much more. And, I have forever with him to make up for the bad times.”
On the tenth anniversary of their marriage in 2023, the couple renewed their vows, with 2baba expressing gratitude for their relationship.
The aftermath
In a post shortly after 2baba’s separation announcement, Stella Dimoko-Korkus reported that Annie was currently in a rehabilitation centre, battling drug addiction.
She wrote, “Actress, Annie Idibia, is in a very bad state and allegedly currently in rehab. Insiders reveal that it is very bad and the two people allegedly currently taking care of her are singer, Tiwa Savage; and media girl, Toke Makinwa. May God heal her. This is a developing story.”
Meanwhile, Toke had also berated 2baba for making the announcement online. Reacting to the singer’s post, she wrote, “This is wrong on all levels, and you should be ashamed of yourself for bringing this here. Bring it on. If you think she’s alone, let me tell you here that you’ll have to fight all of us.”
In another post, she added, “I’m not one for too much talk, but what is wrong is wrong, and as a woman, if you sit on the fence on this one, if it misses you, it’ll touch your daughter or any female in your family.
“No one is innocent, and if you want to bring the media into it, knowing what is happening, we would fight for her.”
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