Oyo Candidate's Viral Video Explained by Campaign Team

The campaign organization of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, addressed a viral video showing a student from The Polytechnic sitting on his lap during a visit to his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan. The visit occurred on September 2, 2026, when students from the Department of Banking and Finance came to invite Alli to their program and conduct an interview.

Due to a lack of available chairs, Alli invited one student to sit on his lap to facilitate the session. The campaign characterized this as a "spontaneous and fatherly gesture" with no inappropriate intent.

The video also captured a moment where Alli briefly touched the student's lap, which led to various interpretations on social media. The campaign team firmly rejected these interpretations, asserting that the incident was being misrepresented for political gain and urged media and social media users to report responsibly.

They framed the controversy as a distraction from the substantive issues of the 2027 governorship race in Oyo State.