A wave of panic is sweeping through the camps of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress in Osun State over Governor Ademola Adeleke’s reported plan to dump the PDP for the APC, findings by Saturday PUNCH have revealed. Several of Adeleke’s close associates, including appointees, confirmed to Saturday PUNCH that the governor had nearly perfected the defection plan. While the move has sent panic into the APC, with an anti-Adeleke protest staged on Friday, the governor, in a statement by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, denied nursing such a plan. The defection rumour began in June when Adeleke visited President Bola Tinubu in his Bourdillon, Lagos home. The Osun governor was accompanied by his billionaire businessman brother, Adedeji Adeleke, and Afrobeat star nephew, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido. The meeting was revealed in an X post by  Tinubu’s Special Assistant  on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. Though Olusegun did not state the purpose of the visit,  tension flared within both the Osun PDP and APC camps when photographs from the visit surfaced on social media, showing the President and his wife in close shots with the Adelekes. After a brief lull, the defection rumour resurfaced during the week following a series of posts made by the governor’s aides on social media. Close associates confirm move, APC ticket offer  Insiders in the governor’s cabinet, including a commissioner and two special advisers, told our correspondents that Adeleke had concluded plans to join the APC. The commissioner, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Adeleke had briefed some of his allies in his cabinet and the House of Assembly about his defection plan. “Mr Governor will join the APC, but the official declaration will not be now. His planned defection is a result of political threats, the Federal Government withheld local government funds, and there are emerging threats to the businesses of his billionaire brother, Dr Deji Adeleke. So, there are many things at stake,” he said. A senior official of the APC in the state also confirmed that the governor was consulting with APC leaders, but said his fate hangs on Tinubu’s move. “Adeleke has been consulting many APC leaders. He has employed some mercenaries to lobby the President. But Baba Bisi Akande and Oyetola have not consented to his defection. The President will need to convince them before the governor will declare his defection,” the APC official told our correspondent on Thursday. In a symbolic move, the Osun PDP Director of Media and Information, Oladele Bamiji, who is also a Senior Special Assistant to Adeleke, posted “On Your Mandate!” on his Facebook timeline around 5 pm on Thursday. The slogan is synonymous with Tinubu, having originated from his loyalists in Lagos State. Bamiji’s post triggered reactions from other Facebook users, including APC members kicking against the move. One of the governor’s special advisers, who also spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the governor’s apparent uncertainty over the validity of his second-term ticket in the face of the PDP crisis might have triggered his proposed defection. “INEC has released the timetable for the 2026 governorship election, and the PDP primary is coming up in September. Who is going to sign Adeleke’s nomination form amid the ongoing crisis in the PDP? “We are all afraid that whatever happens in the PDP regarding the Osun election may be subject to litigation, which may invalidate the governor’s nomination and victory. That is why the governor wants to leave,” the aide said. Also subtly confirming the move, another SSA to Adeleke, Olalekan Badmus, tweeted on his X handle on Friday: “After we all agreed to this, the next question is where? “Governor Adeleke is currently consulting and evaluating all options on the table, including the peculiarities of all current political parties. Reports of imminent arrival at a particular party are at best speculative.”  Amid growing confirmation from the governor’s close associates, Saturday PUNCH gathered that Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and members of the President’s immediate family reportedly facilitated Adeleke’s move to the APC. Adeleke remains in PDP – Spokesman Reacting to the defection rumour, the spokesperson for the Osun State Government, Rasheed, said Adeleke remained in the PDP and was not considering joining the APC. In a statement on Thursday, Rasheed quoted Adeleke as saying, “I assure the good people of Osun that I remain part and parcel of the PDP family. I am not defecting to any party.” He said the governor reaffirmed his commitment to the implementation of his administration’s five-point agenda and urged the public to disregard what he described as “fake news,” while assuring continued delivery of good governance and democratic dividends. Also reacting, the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, said the party’s national secretariat was unaware of any defection plan by the Osun governor. In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Basiru said, “The only thing I can say is that I’m not aware of Adeleke’s so-called planned defection as the National Secretary of the party. All other things are hypothetical for now. I cannot be reacting based on social media frenzy!” Similarly, the spokesperson for the Osun APC, Kola Olabisi, said the party leadership in the state had no knowledge of any move by Adeleke to join their ranks. “It is still in the realm of speculation. The leadership of the APC in Osun, led by Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, is not aware of the governor’s defection plan,” he said. When asked whether the party would welcome Adeleke, Olabisi replied, “Only the leadership of the party will speak on that.” Panic in APC, PDP camps Despite official denials, there is palpable tension among members of both the APC and PDP  in Osun State. Saturday PUNCH gathered that the development has unsettled many APC members, particularly loyalists of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola, who fear that Adeleke’s entry into the APC could jeopardise the chances of their governorship aspirant, Bola Oyebamiji. On the PDP side, some members have also expressed concern that the party may suffer significant setbacks if Adeleke defects, as the Adeleke dynasty is regarded as the party’s primary financier in Osun State. Our correspondents noted that several APC members took to social media, especially Facebook, to express displeasure over the alleged plan. A former Special Adviser to ex-Governor Oyetola on Education, Alhaji Jamiu Olawumi, wrote on his Facebook timeline on Thursday, “The Adeleke Challenge! If, as a governor, you have delivered, is it not shameful trying to run away from your own party?” Another Oyetola loyalist, Adedeji Adebayo, also took to Facebook to criticise APC National Secretary, Basiru, for saying that President Tinubu would determine the APC’s governorship candidate in 2027, rather than speaking out against Adeleke’s rumoured defection. He wrote, “The Adelekes’ agents in the APC are celebrating, granting media interviews about the phantom defection of the so-called ‘omo-gba-feeder’. Yes, the same omo-gba-feeder. They don’t care if it goes to a dullard since it’s not coming to them. That is the kind of wanton politics they play. Meanwhile, it is what it is: phantom defection. If Obente defects to APC, perhaps it is the APC AISU Chapter.”  ‘No automatic ticket for gov’ On Friday, some Osun APC members staged a peaceful protest at the party’s state secretariat in Osogbo, insisting that if Adeleke defects, he should not be given an automatic governorship ticket. Led by a member of the APC, Taofeek Afolabi, the protesters, mostly youths, said it would be unfair to hand the incumbent governor the party’s ticket without a contest. “We are members of the All Progressives Congress, and we are here this morning to register our concern over the rumoured defection of Governor Ademola Adeleke to the APC. We are not saying he should not join our party. Adeleke joining the APC will boost our party. He is the current governor, and having him with us will strengthen the party,” Afolabi said. “However, what we don’t want is the party giving Governor Adeleke an automatic ticket. If he wants to re-contest, he should express interest and contest the gubernatorial ticket with other aspirants. “There are people who have shown interest in the race already, and we don’t want him to be handed the ticket without a proper contest. That is the only thing we are against. We have no issue with him joining our party,” he added.  PDP, APC chieftains divided Saturday PUNCH gathered that members of both the PDP and APC remain divided over the governor’s reported defection plan. While a section of the PDP reportedly supports the move, others have rejected it, insisting they would not follow the governor into another party. A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Diran Odeyemi, said realignment was part of politics and that there was nothing wrong with adjusting strategies to win elections. “Politics is dynamic. It’s not like mathematics, where you get a fixed answer to an equation. It’s about permutation here and there. It’s a game that is played according to situations and circumstances, but with the sole purpose of winning,” Odeyemi said. “Realignment is key in politics, more so because it is a game of interest. There is nothing wrong with redefining a strategy if it is aimed at winning any contest. As for us in the PDP, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second term is sacrosanct; the way and manner to go about it is secondary.” Meanwhile, a chieftain of the APC in Osun and an aide to ex-Governor  Oyetola, Jamiu Olawumi, maintained that while party membership is a right, acceptance is not automatic. “Politics and joining a political party are fundamental human rights. Joining a party is a free entry and free exit. However, in some situations, you cannot just join a political party because there are certain criteria for fresh members. If you’re not fit for it, we might not welcome your overtures,” he said. Olawumi also dismissed the defection report as speculation. “The highest hierarchy of the party has not spoken about the defection. Everybody is just reacting to rumours — we’ve had both confirmations and denials. This shouldn’t be given serious attention by serious people. In the APC, we are serious people, and we don’t dwell on this kind of unserious speculation. Let it remain in the realm of rumour,” he added. We’re not worried—APC aspirants Some governorship hopefuls in the Osun APC has said the defection rumour is not giving them sleepless nights. One of them, Dotun Babayemi, said the development did not come as a surprise and would not affect his ambition. Speaking through his spokesperson, Kayode Oladeji, Babayemi stated that Adeleke’s defection would, in fact, be an addition to the APC. “We are not worried about Governor Ademola Adeleke or anybody coming into our great party, APC. We all know that democracy is a game of numbers. This means it is becoming clear that our party is poised to win in 2026, and President Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 elections shall be resounding,” he said. “In the same vein, his joining our party cannot jeopardise my chances. My confidence is based on the amazing support and love being shown to me within and outside the APC, across the state, by both the old and the young. “As to whether it is right for the governor to dump the PDP for the APC, I am not sure that is the real question — because we don’t know what is chasing him from the PDP,” he added. Similarly, another governorship hopeful, Akin Ogunbiyi, said he was not surprised by Adeleke’s reported defection plan, declaring that the party would win the next governorship election in the state. “I am not worried that the current governor is struggling to come to the APC. He is a serving governor, and he can come to the APC. Our party is a winning team, and we can all see what is happening at the federal level — what our father, the President, is doing. “So, I am not surprised that not only in Osun State, but even across other states, people are declaring for the APC because it is a progressive party,” Ogunbiyi said. PDP senators to dump party Meanwhile, Saturday PUNCH has gathered that two PDP senators from Osun State, Adenigba Fadahunsi (Osun East) and Olubiyi Ajagunla (Osun Central), have concluded plans to leave the party. According to aides, both lawmakers met with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa about a month ago, where the decision regarding their defection was finalised. One of Ajagunla’s top aides, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Ajagunla will leave the PDP soon, there is no doubt about that. The Adeleke dynasty is not treating him well, and our town, Ila-Orangun, has not benefited from the current administration in terms of infrastructure development. “People know that Ajagunla has left the PDP; he just hasn’t announced his defection officially,” the aide said.

International Breweries Plc (IBPLC), a proud member of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewery with over 500 beer brands, has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability through innovative water conservation initiatives. In commemoration of World Water Day, the company hosted a series of impactful activities across its four breweries, emphasising its dedication and leadership in responsible water management and environmental stewardship. Reflecting on the company’s unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability, the Managing Director, IBPLC, Carlos Coutino said; “Water conservation, and equitable access to water should be a basic right of all human beings because water is life and an invaluable resource. “For us at International Breweries PLC, water is a vital resource in brewing, and we make deliberate efforts to conserve water. Understanding its importance, we have implemented industry-leading conservation practices, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations and minimising our ecological footprint”, Coutino further noted. To mark the 2025 World Water Day, IBPLC welcomed stakeholders to tours across its four breweries to witness, firsthand, the company’s advanced water conservation systems. During remarks at the IBPLC’s Gateway Brewery tour, the Commissioner for Environment, Ogun State, Ola Oresanya, who was represented by Hon. Abayomi Hunpe, the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), noted that the physical inspections of IBPLC’s plant proved that the foremost brewer is doing great things around water conservation to ensure that it meets global standards. L-R: General Manager, Ogun State Signage & Advertisement Agency (OGSAA), FolaOnifade; Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), Hon Abayomi Hunye;Director of Brewery Operations, International Breweries PLC (IBPLC), RaidahVaid; Plant Manager, IBPLC Gateway Brewery, Akintayo Oguntunde; Olu of Orile-Imo, Oba OluwambeSogaolu; and a member Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Damilola Shoneyeduring the IBPLC World Water Day celebration. “I want other companies to emulate what IBPLC is doing here. The company is striving as much as possible to meet the global standard in water conservation, as they celebrate World Water Day”, he noted. At the Port Harcourt brewery of IBPLC, the Director, Ministry of Environment, Pollution Department, Joan Tenny-Igoma expressed her delight for the company’s water stewardship. L-R:Corporate Affairs Country Lead, International Breweries PLC (IBPLC), Dr. Marian Reginald-Ukwuoma; NAFDAC State Coordinator, Rivers State,Dr.Onogwu Emmanuel;Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Employment and Empowerment Generation, Rivers State, Napoleon Akpe and Plant Manager, IBPLC, Port Harcourt Brewery, Abimbola Agoyeduring the IBPLC World Water Day celebration. “I was truly impressed by the plant’s commitment to water conservation. The water recovery machine is a testament to the fact that you not only value water, but also creatively utilize it to minimize waste. This is a shining example of responsible water management”, Tenny-Igoma noted. Recognising that sustainability begins from within, IBPLC also organised a townhall session to educate employees on the company’s water conservation efforts. This session provided staff with valuable insights into IBPLC’s sustainability initiatives, empowering them to become advocates for water conservation within and beyond the organisation. L-R: Higher Technical Officer, National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA), Orizu Valentine;Staff NIWA, Nnenna Beauty; Managing Director, Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Christian Molokwu; Planning and Performance Manager, International Breweries PLC (IBPLC), Onitsha Brewery, Augustina Okoli andCorporate Affairs Manager IBPLC, Onitsha Brewery, OkechukwuNzeribe during the IBPLC World Water Day celebration. Beyond World Water Day, IBPLC has continuously demonstrated its commitment to sustainable water management. The company has donated solar-powered boreholes to several communities where it operates, including communities in Anambra, Rivers, Ogun, and Osun States. These boreholes provide potable, clean and reliable water sources, significantly improving the quality of life for residents in these regions. This year, Logbara community in Ogun State received a donation of solar-powered borehole as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility. International Breweries remains steadfast in integrating sustainable practices across its operations. From responsible sourcing of raw materials to pioneering brewing techniques, the company continually invests in technology and processes that enhance efficiency while minimising environmental impactThrough strategic partnerships, employee engagement, and community-focused projects, International Breweries Plc is leading the charge towards a more sustainable and water-secured future. L-R: Onimo Of Imo, Osun State, Oba Joseph Olaniyi, Hon. Commissioner for Trade and Industries, Osun State, Rev. Bunmi Jenyo; Member, Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Wale Akerele; Plant Manager, International Breweries Plc (IBPLC), Ilesa, Emmanuel Onabanjo; Director, Commercial Services, Osun State Water Corporation, Makinde Taiwo; Head of Revenue, Water Corporation, Olamide Kikelomo and Deputy General Manager, Osun State Water Corporation, Engr. Ayo Fadina during the IBPLC World Water Day celebration.  International Breweries Plc (IBPLC) is a proud part of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world’s largest brewer with over 500 brands. IBPLC is the proud producer of Trophy Lager, Trophy Extra Stout, Hero Lager, Castle Lite, Budweiser, Flying Fish Beta Malt, Grand Malt among other quality beverages.  As part of a global brand, International Breweries has a dream of bringing people together for a Future with More Cheers through the building of great brands that stand the test of time using the finest natural ingredients.  

The Confederation of African Football has announced Egypt as the host of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. CAF revealed the new host in a statement on Thursday evening. Cote d’Ivoire was billed to host the age-grade competition from April 26 to May 18, but the country pulled out precisely a month before the event. According to CAF, the West African country pulled out of hosting the competition due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The statement reads, “The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) today awarded the Egyptian Football Association (“EFA”) and Egyptian Government the rights to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025. “This is subsequent to CAF having been informed by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (“FIF”) and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire that due to unforeseen circumstances, they are unable to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025. “ Egypt hosted the previous edition of the competition and the country will take up the responsibility again, and the 2025 U-20 AFCON has been rescheduled to start on April 27. The Flying Eagles are drawn in Group B of the competition against the new hosts, Morocco and South Africa. The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the knockout. The best two third-placed teams will also get quarter-final slots. The semi-finalists will qualify automatically for the 2025 U-20 World Cup in Chile.

Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels, has responded to her husband, Ned Nwoko, following his poetic social media post on Thursday. PUNCH Online reports that Nwoko had taken to social media to reaffirm his love for Regina, dispelling rumours of marital discord and revealing that they are expecting another baby. Commenting on his post on Instagram, Regina celebrated her husband and their love. She wrote, “Oooh my king! The greatest man in Igbo land! Dike’m! Obim! Ezigbo dim Oma! What did I do to deserve this honour! 10,000 women by your right, 20,000 by your left and I will stand gidigba because what we share will remain the first in history.” Regina’s statement comes amid recent social media speculation regarding her marriage, including her removal of Nwoko’s name from her Instagram bio which many interpreted as a sign of marital discord. PUNCH Online reports that in a poem titled “Six Years Later…: She Still Can’t Resist Me,” Nwoko celebrated his marriage of six years with Regina, while defending his approach to love and marriage. He also revealed that they are expecting a third child together as he addressed rumours regarding their marriage, and warned gossips to desist.