EFCC INVITES FORMER GOVERNOR SYLVA OVER ALLEGED $14.86M FRAUD
Read Time:2 Minute, 55 Second
By:Tajudeen Aminat
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has called on former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, who was declared wanted over an alleged $14.86 million fraud, to present himself for questioning.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, made this known on Monday while responding to Sylva’s accusation that the anti-graft agency had allegedly become more of an arm of the All Progressives Congress than a government institution.
“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said when asked to react to the allegation.
Sylva announced his resignation from the APC on Monday and disclosed that he had sent a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC. In the letter, he accused the commission of acting like an organ of the ruling party.
The former governor also criticised the APC for abandoning what he described as its founding principles, while faulting the administration of President Bola Tinubu for failing to meet Nigerians’ expectations.
Sylva’s resignation letter, dated August 31, 2026, was addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and delivered electronically. Copies were sent to the APC national chairman, the EFCC chairman and the APC chairman in Bayelsa State.
He said his decision to leave the party followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
According to Sylva, he could no longer remain in what he described as a “floundering ship” whose problems had become impossible to overlook.
“As a founding member of the APC, and one who joined other well-meaning Nigerians in building the Party with sweat and money, it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted,” he stated.
He further accused the party’s leadership of adopting the belief that “all is fair in politics,” arguing that such an approach was inconsistent with basic standards of decency and morality.
Sylva also alleged that the APC-led Federal Government had disappointed a large number of Nigerians and expressed doubt that the administration could successfully reform itself.
He said he was leaving the party in the hope that Nigerians would use the next general election to change the country’s political direction.
Explaining why he copied the EFCC in his resignation letter, Sylva accused the commission of becoming increasingly politicised.
“I am deliberately putting the EFCC in copy of this letter because, of late, it has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State,” he said.
He acknowledged that his action could lead to increased scrutiny of him and his associates but said he was prepared to face the consequences.
The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.
The former governor has also been linked to an alleged plot against the administration of President Bola Tinubu. He is listed as a defendant in a 13-count federal charge involving allegations including treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering.
Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot, and the allegations against him remain subject to judicial proceedings. He has not been convicted.
In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order covering nine properties allegedly linked to Sylva following an application by the EFCC.
Sylva served as Bayelsa State governor from 2007 to 2012 and later became Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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