12th June, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
There have been reactions to the fall of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he was trying to climb a vehicle to go round the Eagle Square during the parade organised by the military to mark June 12 Democracy Day on Wednesday morning in Abuja.
The President missed his step and tripped as he was about to climb the open roof vehicle, but his security aides quickly came to his aid. It was believed that the President’s shoe got stuck in his Agbada (flowing robe) as he was about to climb the vehicle.
But unruffled, President Tinubu overcame the minor accident and eventually took a ride on the vehicle round the Eagle Square before settling down to view the Democracy Day parade by the military.
Confirming the incident, Dada Olusegun, the special assistant to the president on new media said, “Mr President missed his step while climbing into the truck at the June 12 Democracy Day celebration and tripped. It was a mild misstep. He immediately went on with the ceremonial rounds. No issues.”
However, reactions have trailed the presidential fall, with many expressing sympathy. Others pointed out that such falls are not uncommon among top leaders across the world as they are also human beings.
Former Kaduna Senator and pro-democracy activist, Comrade Shehu Sani noted that there is no big deal about the incident. He noted that many leaders across the world have found themselves in similar situations in the past.
“Not Just President Tinubu, anyone alive can trip and fall; it happened to President Biden and Fidel Castro. Presidents are human beings and mortals,” Sani tweeted on his X handle.
Also, the special adviser to the president on media and information, Bayo Onanuga said, “Tinubu is human after all. Biden has fallen so many times in the last three years, the US media don’t talk about it anymore.”
On his part, former vice president Atiku Abubakar expressed his “sincere sympathy” to the President over the fall.
Atiku, who lost the 2023 presidential election to Tinubu said on his X handle, “I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu, @officialABAT, over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day. I do hope that all is well with him. -AA”
Former presidential aide, Bashir Ahmad however said there is no need to make a big deal out of the incident.
He also cautioned against politicising the incident. Writing on his X handle, Ahmad said: “The President misstepped and got up immediately to continue his activities as planned. Those making a big deal out of this should know that everyone can misstep, whether they are old or young, healthy or not, and the Presidents are no exception. Do we really have to politicize everything?”
On the other hand, Daniel Bwala, a popular social media personality did not spare those trying to make political gains out of the incident: He said on his X handle: “Whenever I see these barbaric miscreants making issue out of non issue, I shudder. You want to make an issue out of a simple misstep owing to the @officialABAT president’s shoes stuck in his babariga”
“Take a look at @PeterObi Pitobi here in the video below falling and had to be assisted, did anybody make an issue out of this?
“By God’s grace it won’t be long when unsuspecting members of the public’s eyes would be open to realize that these guys are actually IPOB and their sympathizers masquerading as Obidients”
Also, on his X handle, Pastor Okezie said, “Presidents stumble and fall regularly like everyone else.
“Stumbling and falling only becomes worrisome when it happens rampant like Joe Biden of US and can’t be explained.
When a man climbing into a Truck stumbles, falls, picks himself up, and marches on, then he has, in fact passed a fitness TEST!!”