The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has explained a viral video showing a student sitting on the politician’s lap during an interaction with young people.
The campaign team described the incident as a “spontaneous, fatherly gesture,” saying the video circulating online did not fully capture the context of what happened. The explanation comes as the footage generated reactions on social media.
According to the campaign organisation, the incident occurred during an engagement involving Alli and students. It said the interaction was informal and that the gesture should be understood within the context of the relationship between the politician and the young people present at the event.
The campaign team maintained that there was no inappropriate intention behind the incident, describing it as a moment that happened spontaneously during the engagement.
The clarification was issued after the video attracted attention online, with users sharing different interpretations of the footage. The campaign organisation said focusing on a short clip without considering the circumstances surrounding it could lead to misunderstanding.
Alli, a former senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District, is currently seeking the APC ticket and support ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election. His political activities have increasingly included engagements with residents, young people and other groups as political parties prepare for the next election cycle.
The controversy surrounding the video also highlights the growing influence of social media in Nigeria's political space. Short video clips can quickly gain widespread attention, sometimes generating reactions before the full circumstances surrounding an incident become known.
Political figures and their campaign organisations have consequently become more conscious of how public appearances and interactions are recorded and shared online.
For the APC campaign team, the latest clarification is intended to put the incident into perspective and prevent what it considers an inaccurate interpretation of the viral footage.
The development also comes at a time when political activities are gradually intensifying across Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections. Candidates and political parties are expected to increase grassroots engagements, with social media likely to remain an important platform for reaching voters.
While the campaign organisation has offered its explanation, the incident has continued to generate discussion online, underscoring how quickly moments involving public figures can become subjects of public debate.
The campaign team's position is that the incident should be viewed as a brief and spontaneous fatherly interaction, rather than through interpretations drawn solely from the circulating video.
As the 2027 political season approaches, Alli and other political actors in Oyo State are likely to face increased public scrutiny over their speeches, activities and interactions with residents.
For now, the APC campaign organisation has sought to draw attention back to the context of the encounter and dismiss suggestions that the viral footage represented anything beyond what it described as a spontaneous gesture.