Mogaji Wole Arisekola has condemned the circulation of a viral video involving Senator Sharafadeen Alli, describing the interpretation attached to the footage as a deliberate attempt to create a false and malicious narrative around the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State.
Arisekola, a journalist, made his position known in an opinion piece in which he dismissed claims circulating on social media that Senator Alli was “caressing” a male journalist during an interview.
He argued that the footage had been deliberately presented out of context and accompanied by a sensational caption designed to create an impression that was not supported by what actually occurred.
“As a seasoned journalist, I categorically reject the interpretation being attached to the video,” Arisekola wrote.
According to him, taking an ordinary human interaction, isolating a few seconds of footage and attaching a provocative or scandalous meaning to it falls below the standards expected of responsible journalism.
He stressed that the addition of a sensational caption does not transform a video into evidence of an allegation.
“A video does not suddenly become evidence of an allegation simply because somebody has attached a provocative caption to it,” he stated.
Arisekola also invoked a Yoruba proverb, “Àgbà kì í wà lójà, kí orí ọmọ tuntun wọ́,” to emphasise the responsibility of experienced journalists to speak out whenever the profession is being subjected to sensationalism and deliberate misrepresentation.
He challenged those circulating the footage to provide the full context surrounding the interaction, including what happened before and after the portion being shared online.
According to him, members of the public should not be encouraged to draw conclusions from edited presentations, suggestive captions or social-media insinuations.
Arisekola further maintained that Senator Alli made no statement in the footage capable of supporting the interpretation being promoted, warning against the deliberate sexualisation of innocent physical gestures for political purposes.
He particularly took exception to attempts to connect Senator Alli’s statement — “You have to use what you have to get what you want, to leverage on whatever may be happening in the state” — with the physical interaction captured in the video.
He described such an interpretation as a distortion of the senator’s intended meaning, insisting that Alli was speaking about making use of available opportunities, resources, abilities and prevailing circumstances to achieve legitimate objectives.
“Turning such a statement into a sexual insinuation is not only intellectually dishonest; it is a deliberate twisting of words to fit a predetermined narrative,” Arisekola argued.
While acknowledging that political disagreement, criticism and scrutiny of public office seekers are legitimate, he maintained that character assassination should not be disguised as journalism.
“Facts must come before interpretation, and evidence must come before sensational headlines,” he stated, stressing the importance of context in responsible journalism.
Arisekola said Senator Alli’s decades of involvement in public service and politics should be subjected to legitimate scrutiny through his record, policies, competence, antecedents and vision for Oyo State rather than through manufactured controversies.
He also urged members of the public to resist attempts to turn every innocent human interaction into political ammunition.
According to him, Oyo State deserves a governorship campaign centred on ideas, competence, character and development rather than innuendo, sensationalism and manufactured outrage.
He said Senator Alli remains focused on presenting what he described as a credible programme capable of improving the lives of residents and contributing to the development of the state.
“Enough of politics without substance.
“Enough of sensationalism masquerading as journalism,” Arisekola declared.
He urged all political actors and their supporters to ensure that the 2027 Oyo State governorship contest is fought on the basis of ideas, records and competence rather than “manufactured interpretations of a few seconds of video.”
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
0 Comments