NO ENOUGH CHAIRS, SO I ASKED HIM TO SIT ON MY LAP’ — OYO APC CANDIDATE ALLI EXPLAINS VIRAL VIDEO

The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has explained the circumstances behind a viral video showing a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan sitting on the candidate’s lap during a visit to his campaign office.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the campaign team said students from the Department of Banking and Finance visited Alli at his Mokola, Ibadan office to invite him to their programme and conduct an interview. According to the team, the number of visitors exceeded the available seating capacity, leaving insufficient chairs for everyone present.

“In view of the situation, Senator Alli in a spontaneous and fatherly gesture asked one of the students to sit on his lap so that the interview could proceed without delay,” the statement said. The team added that the interaction was meant to accommodate the students and ensure the engagement was not disrupted.

The explanation came after footage of the brief encounter circulated online, showing Alli caressing the student’s lap. The clip sparked varied reactions on social media, with some users offering different interpretations of the gesture. The campaign organisation condemned what it described as attempts to sexualise the interaction, calling it misleading and politically motivated.

“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 said. It further stated that those who know Senator Alli are familiar with his disposition towards young people and his fatherly relationship with them, adding that there was “no basis whatsoever for the offensive insinuations being attached to this video.”

The campaign urged the public and media to disregard misleading narratives and avoid sensationalism. It called for focus to remain on ideas, competence and the welfare of Oyo residents as the 2027 governorship contest approaches, rather than on what it termed a distortion of an innocent engagement.