My fall was prostration for democracy— Tinubu defends Eagle Square fall 

President Bola Tinubu has made a light weather of his fall at the Eagle Square during the Democracy Day celebration, stating it was part of the festivities.  At a subsequent Democracy Day dinner in the Presidential Villa, Tinubu humorously referred to his fall as a “Yoruba boy’s prostration,” generating laughter from attendees.  He playfully remarked on social media reactions, joking about confusion between “Buga” and “Babaringa.” Embracing the spirit of June 12, Tinubu described it as a day to celebrate democracy while paying homage in his traditional Yoruba manner.  Despite earlier dismissals by his aides of the incident as a minor misstep, reactions from Nigerians, including political rivals, varied from expressions of concern to playful jabs.

Presidency Reacts As Tinubu slips during Democracy Day Celebration 

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has played down concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s brief slip while boarding a parade vehicle at the June 12 Democracy Day celebration in Abuja. The aide, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, 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.” The aide’s statement comes after videos circulated showing the President momentarily losing his footing while stepping into the vehicle. Despite the slip, the President quickly regained his balance and continued with the proceedings. The ceremony at Eagles Square was a flagship event in a roster of festivities held across the nation to commemorate the country’s annual Democracy Day celebration.

Abiola, Kudirat, Rewane, Yar’Adua gave their lives so we can enjoy today- Tinubu

The choice of Nigerians to elect a civilian leader to transition from military rule was the seed that germinated into the longest democratic transition that the country is enjoying today, says President Bola Tinubu. The president stated this during his National Broadcast to mark the June 12 Democracy Day on Monday in Abuja. He said that this was largely due to MKO Abiola’s sacrifice to patriotically stand in defense of the ideals of democracy and forgo a life of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. “For the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. “We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. “He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. “There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. “He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself.’’ Tinubu said the country also owed a debt of gratitude to other Pro-June 12 advocates that sacrificed their lives for the future of the people. “Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. “We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today. “The point is that we must never take this democracy for granted. We must forever jealously guard and protect it like a precious jewel. For, a people can never truly appreciate the freedoms and rights democracy guarantees them until they lose it,’’ he said. Read full speech below: TEXT OF DEMOCRACY DAY NATIONAL BROADCAST BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU ON JUNE 12, 2023. Fellow Nigerians, 2. It is exactly three decades today that Nigerians went to the polls to exercise their inalienable right to elect a President of their choice to lead the transition from military dictatorship to a representative government of the people. 3. The abortion, by military fiat, of the decisive victory of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the June 12, 1993, presidential election, up to that time, the fairest and freest election in the country’s political evolution, turned out, ironically, to be the seed that germinated into the prolonged struggle that gave birth to the democracy we currently enjoy since 1999. 4. In rising to strongly oppose the arbitrary annulment of the will of the majority of Nigerians as expressed in that historic election, the substantial number of our people who participated in the struggle to de-annul the election signified their fierce commitment to enthroning democracy as a form of government that best ennobles the liberty, the dignity of the individual and the integrity as well as the stability of the polity. The fierce opposition to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and the unrelenting pro-democracy onslaught it unleashed was the equivalent of the battle against colonial rule by our founding fathers that resulted in the gaining of Nigeria’s independence in 1960. 5. Just like the anti-colonial movement, the pro-June 12 vanguard demonstrated, once again, the enduring validity of the 19th century historian, Arnold Toynbee’s eternal postulation, that civilization and societies experience progress as they are forced to respond to challenges posed by the environment. The unjust annulment of a widely acknowledged free and fair election was a challenge that elicited resistance by a resurgent civil society, leading ultimately to the attainment of our ‘second independence’ as exemplified by the return of democratic governance in 1999. 6. Fellow compatriots, we celebrate a day that has remained a watershed in our nation’s history, not just today, but for every June 12, for the endless future that our beloved country shall exist and wax stronger and stronger, generations of Nigerians will always remind themselves that the democracy that is steadily growing to become the defining essence of our polity was not gifted to us on a silver platter. 7. We can easily recall the sacrifice and martyrdom of Chief MKO Abiola, the custodian of the sacred mandate that was so cruelly annulled. He sacrificed his life in unyielding, patriotic defense of the ideals of democracy as symbolized in his choice, by his fellow countrymen and women, as their duly-elected President. There was an easier choice for him. It was to forgo the justice of his cause and opt for the path of ease and capitulation in the face of the tyranny of power. To his eternal credit and immortal glory, Abiola said no. He demonstrated the time-tested eternal truth that there are certain ideals and principles that are far more valuable than life itself. 8. Everyday, on this day, down the ages we will recall the several other heroes of democracy such as Kudirat Abiola, wife of Chief Abiola, who was brutally murdered while in the trenches fighting on the side of the people. We remember Pa Alfred Rewane, one of the heroes of our independence struggle and Major General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (rtd) who were silenced by the military junta while in pursuit of democracy. They gave their yesterday for the liberty that is ours today. 9. The point is