No Enough Chairs, So I Asked Him To Sit On My Lap — Oyo APC Gov Candidate Sharafadeen Alli Explains Viral Video With Poly Ibadan Student

The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has explained why a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan was seen sitting on his lap in a viral video.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the campaign team said students from the Department of Banking and Finance visited Alli at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan, to invite him to their programme and interview him.

The team said the number of visitors exceeded available seats, prompting Alli to ask one of the students to sit on his lap so the interview could proceed.

The explanation followed reactions online after footage showed Alli briefly caressing the student’s lap, with some social media users giving different interpretations.

The campaign team condemned attempts to sexualise the interaction, describing it as misleading and politically motivated.

“According to the campaign team, ‘the number of people present exceeded the available seating capacity, leaving insufficient chairs for everyone,'” the statement said.

It described Alli’s action as “a spontaneous and fatherly gesture” with no inappropriate intention.

“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.

“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,” it added.

The team urged the public and media to disregard misleading narratives, avoid sensationalism, and focus the 2027 governorship contest on ideas, competence and welfare of residents.