Campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has defended him over an incident in which a student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, sat on his lap during an interaction at his campaign office.
The encounter took place at Alli’s campaign office in Mokola, Ibadan, where students from the institution’s Department of Banking and Finance met with the politician.
The campaign organisation explained the incident in a statement issued yesterday after footage of the encounter generated reactions on social media.
According to the campaign team, the students had visited Alli for an interview and to invite him to an upcoming programme.
It said the number of students at the meeting exceeded the available seating capacity, prompting Alli to ask one of the students to sit on his lap.
“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 statement said.
The organisation accused some online platforms of sexualising the encounter for political purposes and urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading narratives.
It said those familiar with Alli’s relationship with young people would understand the context of the encounter, insisting that there was no basis for the insinuations being circulated.
The campaign team also urged media organisations and social media users to exercise caution in reporting the incident, warning against sensational coverage that could damage individuals’ reputations.
It said the controversy should not distract from issues surrounding the 2027 governorship election, urging political actors to focus on development, competence, ideas and the welfare of Oyo State residents.