Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu addressed his fall at Eagle Square during the Democracy Day celebration, explaining it humorously as a traditional Yoruba gesture of respect for democracy.
Speaking at a Democracy Day dinner at the Presidential Villa, Tinubu described the incident as part of the celebration and referred to it as “prostration being a Yoruba boy.”
Tinubu stated, “Earlier this morning, I had a swagger, and it was on social media. They were confused about whether I was doing Buga or Babaringa.’’
He clarified, “June 12 is a day to celebrate democracy, while doing ‘dobale’ for the day. I’m a traditional Yoruba boy, I did my dobale.”
In Yoruba culture, “dobale” is a respectful way of greeting elders by prostrating.
The fall, which occurred as he attempted to climb the parade vehicle, went viral on social media and elicited varied reactions. One of his media aides, Dada Olusegun, described the incident as a mild misstep and assured the public that Tinubu was not hurt.
Reactions from the political sphere included a sympathetic response from Labour Party’s Peter Obi, who expressed sadness over the incident. Obi stated, “I was saddened to learn of Tinubu’s unfortunate fall today. I wish him well. We achieve nothing by gloating about an accident that could well happen to any of us.”
In contrast, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party mocked Tinubu, questioning if all was well with him.
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