Following the controversy that trailed a viral video showing a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, sitting on the lap of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, his campaign team has explained the circumstances surrounding the interaction.
The campaign team said the student was among a group from the institution’s Department of Banking and Finance who visited Alli at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan, to invite him to their programme and conduct an interview with him.
According to the team, the students arrived at a time when there were not enough seats to accommodate everyone, prompting Alli to ask one of the students to sit on his lap so the interview could proceed.
The explanation followed the circulation of the video on social media, which generated reactions over the interaction between Alli and the student.
In the footage, Alli was also seen briefly touching the student’s lap, prompting different interpretations of the interaction among social media users.
However, the campaign team rejected attempts to portray the interaction in a sexualised manner, describing such interpretations as misleading and politically motivated.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the team said, “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 and maintained that there was no inappropriate intention behind it.
“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 team said.
The team urged the public to disregard the misleading narratives surrounding the video.
It also called on media organisations and social media users to exercise responsibility in reporting the incident, arguing that digital platforms should not be used to damage reputations through sensationalism and innuendo.
The campaign team further urged the public to reject the cheap political blackmail, saying the 2027 Oyo governorship election should focus on ideas, competence, development and the welfare of residents.