The campaign organisation of Oyo State APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has explained the circumstances surrounding a viral video showing a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, sitting on his lap during an interview.
The campaign team said the student was among members of the institution’s Department of Banking and Finance who visited Alli at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan.
According to the campaign organisation, the students came to invite the politician to their programme and conduct an interview with him.
It explained that the number of visitors exceeded the available seating capacity, leaving some of the students without chairs.
The campaign said Alli subsequently asked one of the students to sit on his lap so the interview could continue.
The explanation followed the circulation of a short video showing Alli and the unidentified student. The footage generated significant discussion online, particularly because Alli was also seen briefly touching the student’s lap.
Some social media users interpreted the interaction differently, prompting calls for an explanation from the politician and his team.
In a statement published on Wednesday, the campaign organisation rejected what it described as attempts to attach inappropriate or sexual interpretations to the incident.
According to the campaign team, the situation occurred because “the number of people present exceeded the available seating capacity, leaving insufficient chairs for everyone.”
It described Alli’s action as “a spontaneous and fatherly gesture”, insisting that there was no inappropriate intention behind it.
The campaign organisation accused some online platforms of deliberately sensationalising the footage for political purposes.
“It is deeply unfortunate that political desperation has descended to this level, where an ordinary interaction between a fatherly political leader and students who came to seek support for their programme is deliberately twisted into something sordid.”
The team further urged members of the public to disregard what it called misleading narratives surrounding the video.
It said those familiar with Alli’s relationship with young people would understand the context of the interaction and maintained that the politician had no improper motive.
“Those who know Senator Sharafadeen Alli understand his disposition towards young people and his fatherly relationship with them. There is no basis whatsoever for the offensive insinuations being attached to this video.”
The campaign organisation also appealed to media organisations and social media users to exercise caution when reporting or commenting on the footage.
It argued that sensational interpretations of short video clips could unfairly damage the reputation of individuals without providing the full context of what occurred.
The team described the controversy as an attempt at “cheap political blackmail” and urged political actors to focus on issues such as competence, development and the welfare of residents ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.
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