The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has come under online scrutiny after a video showing a student sitting on his lap during an interview sparked reactions on social media.

The footage, which circulated widely online, shows Alli seated while a male student appears to sit on his lap as an interview takes place. At some point in the video, the politician is seen touching the student, prompting some social media users to question the nature of the interaction.

The development quickly generated mixed reactions, with some viewers describing the scene as unusual and calling for more context about what happened before and during the recording.
However, Alli’s campaign organisation has rejected suggestions that the encounter was inappropriate or had any sexual undertone.

In a statement issued in Ibadan, the campaign said the student and other students from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, had visited Alli to seek his support for one of their programmes and to conduct an interview with him.

According to the campaign, the venue became crowded when the students arrived, leaving insufficient chairs for everyone. It said Alli then invited one of the students to sit on his lap so that the interview could continue.

The campaign described the gesture as spontaneous and fatherly, insisting that there was nothing sexual or suggestive about the interaction.

“Unfortunately, political desperation has descended to this level,” the campaign said, accusing some online platforms of deliberately twisting an ordinary interaction to create controversy.

The organisation also urged members of the public and media organisations to consider the full context of the footage instead of drawing conclusions from a brief clip.

It maintained that Alli has consistently maintained relationships with young people, students and other groups across Oyo State and argued that the incident should not be used to distract from political issues ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The campaign further described the online reactions as “cheap political blackmail” and urged political discourse in the state to focus on policies, competence, development and the welfare of residents.

While the campaign has offered its explanation, the video continues to generate discussion online, with reactions largely centred on whether the gesture was appropriate for a public figure and political candidate.

The controversy comes as political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, putting increased attention on the conduct and public image of political candidates.