APC governorship candidate in Oyo State Sharafadeen Alli faces backlash after a viral video shows a male student sitting on his lap during an interaction at his campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan. The footage also appears to show Alli stroking the student’s thigh, which drew outrage and accusations online.
Alli’s campaign organisation says the student and other students from the Polytechnic, Ibadan visited the office to invite Alli and request an interview for their programme. The campaign states that the students arrived when seating was limited, and Alli asked one of them to sit on his lap due to the lack of chairs. It describes the gesture as “spontaneous and fatherly,” and says there was no inappropriate intent.
In response to the online criticism, the campaign organisation accuses some platforms of trying to sexualise the interaction by presenting misleading, politically motivated interpretations. It urges media and social media users to be cautious, describing the coverage and reactions as “cheap political blackmail.”
