‘It Was A Spontaneous, Fatherly Gesture’ Explains Viral Video Of Student Sitting On His Lap

The campaign organisation of Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Senator Sharafadeen Alli has explained the circumstances behind a viral video showing a male student sitting on the politician’s lap during an interview.

The footage, which surfaced online on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, generated mixed reactions, particularly over the informal interaction between Alli and the student, who was briefly seen sitting on his lap while Alli appeared to touch the student’s lap.

However, Alli’s campaign organisation said the incident had been taken out of context.

According to a statement issued by the campaign office, the student and other members of the Department of Banking and Finance, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, had visited Alli’s campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan, to invite him to their programme and conduct an interview with him.

The campaign said the students arrived when there were not enough seats for everyone. It claimed that Alli subsequently asked one of the students to sit on his lap so that the engagement could continue.

The organisation described the decision as a “spontaneous and fatherly gesture” and maintained that there was no inappropriate intention behind the interaction.

“Unfortunately, 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.

It further argued that those familiar with Alli’s relationship with young people would understand his disposition towards students and described the interpretations of the footage as misleading.

The campaign urged members of the public and media organisations to consider the broader context of the encounter rather than conclude from the brief viral clip.

It also accused critics of using the footage for “cheap political blackmail”, insisting that the 2027 Oyo governorship contest should focus on policies, competence, development and the welfare of residents.