Sharafadeen Alli's Campaign Explains Why Oyo Student Sat on His Lap in Viral Video
- A video showing Oyo APC governorship candidate Senator Sharafadeen Alli with a student on his lap circulated online and drew widespread attention
- Alli's campaign team said Banking and Finance students from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, visited his Mokola office, and seating was not enough for everyone
- The campaign team rejected claims that the interaction was inappropriate, calling such interpretations politically motivated
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Ibadan, Oyo State - The campaign organisation of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, has explained a video showing a student sitting on his lap spread widely online.
Alli's camp said students from the Department of Banking and Finance at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, had visited Alli at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan.
Source: Twitter
The campaign said the students came to extend an invitation to their programme and to conduct an interview with the senator.
As reported by The Punch, this was contained in a statement published on the campaign website on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
Why Oyo student sat on Alli's lap
The campaign said the number of visitors exceeded the number of available chairs at the office.
Rather than turn anyone away or delay the interview, Alli asked one of the students to sit on his lap so the session could proceed. The team described the moment as "a spontaneous and fatherly gesture" with no inappropriate intent.
The footage also showed Alli briefly touching the student's lap, a moment that drew different interpretations from social media users.
The campaign team pushed back firmly against those readings, saying the interaction was being deliberately misrepresented for political gain.
"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 campaign said in its statement.
Campaign calls out 'cheap political blackmail'
The team called on media organisations and social media users to report the incident responsibly, arguing that online platforms should not be weaponised to harm reputations through sensationalism.
It urged the public to disregard what it called misleading narratives attached to the video.
"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 statement read.
The campaign also framed the controversy as a distraction from the substance of the 2027 governorship race in Oyo State.
It said the election should centre on ideas, competence, development, and the welfare of residents rather than what it described as "cheap political blackmail."
Morris Monye posted the video of the incident via her X handle @Morris_Monye, with the caption:
"Oh. He’s a student journalist. Even my mum can’t lap me like this."
Oyo APC: Disqualify Sharafadeen Alli now
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a law firm filed a formal petition to the APC national headquarters on behalf of concerned party members in Oyo State.
The solicitors argued that Senator Alli became ineligible for elective office following his elevation to a beaded crown-wearing Oba.
Counsel warned the party leadership that nominating a disqualified candidate would likely lead to a legal defeat at the Election Petition Tribunal.
Source: Legit.ng
