President Bola Tinubu’s main political opponents were among those extending well-wishes after he took a spill on Thursday during Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebrations in the capital.
Footage showed the 72-year-old Tinubu losing his footing and falling to the ground as he climbed into a vehicle meant to transport him around Eagle Square for the ceremonial event marking 25 years of civilian rule.
While Tinubu’s aide downplayed it as a “mild misstep” and said the president continued participating afterwards, the highly-visible fall resurfaced concerns about his age and health status following a tough election campaign last year.
Atiku Abubakar, Tinubu’s closest challenger who represented the Peoples Democratic Party, said he was pained to see the president tumble.
“I sincerely sympathise with President Bola Tinubu over this unfortunate incident as he was set to review the parade on Democracy Day,” Abubakar wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “I do hope that all is well with him.”
Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate who finished third, echoed the sentiments in his own X post: “I was saddened to learn of President 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.”
The opposition figures’ sympathetic reactions highlighted the seriousness of Tinubu’s dramatic fall at the high-profile event celebrating Nigerian democracy. It also reflected concerns about whether the septuagenarian president has the stamina for the demands of office.
Despite Tinubu’s camp insisting he carried on without issue after the fall, video footage of the elderly leader requiring assistance drew a cloud over the celebratory day and kicked off his term with a visible reminder of his frailty.
