Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has come under heavy criticism following the emergence of a video showing him carrying a young man on his lap during a meeting with students.
The video, which surfaced online on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, initially attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians. However, the controversy intensified after the young man was identified as a student and a representative of the Banking and Finance Students’ Association of The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
The meeting was reportedly held after the students visited Alli to seek support for their programme.
In the viral footage, the student is seen sitting on the senator’s lap while holding a mobile phone from which he appeared to be reading questions directed at Alli.
The student appeared visibly tense as he asked his questions, while Alli was seen rubbing his thigh during the interaction.
At one point, the student asked the senator about unemployment and the measures he would adopt to address the issue if elected governor of Oyo State.
While continuing to rub the student’s thigh, Alli responded: “Well, you’re going to use what you have to get what you want, to leverage on whatever we have in the state.”
The footage has since generated widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians condemning the senator’s conduct and describing the interaction as inappropriate and an abuse of power.
Some commenters, however, also questioned why the student did not stop or object to the interaction.
Others defended the student, arguing that he appeared uncomfortable and was in a vulnerable position during the encounter, particularly given the power imbalance between a sitting senator and a student seeking support for an educational programme.
The controversy has continued to generate debate online, with calls for greater professionalism and appropriate conduct when public officials interact with young people and students.
