Ex-gov Sylva wanted for questioning over alleged $14.86m fraud – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has called on former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, to make himself available for questioning over an alleged $14.86 million fraud case.

The former governor was recently declared wanted by the anti-graft agency in connection with the investigation.

EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, made the call on Monday while responding to allegations by Sylva that the commission had acted more like an organ of the All Progressives Congress (APC) than a government institution.

“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said when asked to respond to the allegation.

Sylva, who announced his resignation from the APC on Monday, said he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the commission of acting as an organ of the ruling party.

The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources also accused the APC of abandoning its founding ideals and said the Tinubu administration had disappointed Nigerians.

The resignation letter, addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, was delivered electronically. It was also copied to the national chairman of the APC, the executive chairman of the EFCC and the chairman of the APC in Bayelsa State.

Sylva said his decision to quit the party followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

He said he had no option but to leave what he described as a “floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”

The former governor said he could no longer remain in a party whose leaders, in his view, had embraced the belief that “all is fair in politics.”

In the resignation letter dated August 31, 2026, and obtained by our correspondents, Sylva said the ideals upon which the APC was founded had been “thoroughly and unrecognizably thwarted.”

He wrote, “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 unrecognizably thwarted.

“Moreover, I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to belong to a Party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics;’ and have consistently demonstrated that belief in practice.

“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration.”

Sylva also criticised the APC-led Federal Government, saying it had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.

“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians. And I can see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp,” he stated.

He said he was leaving the party in the belief that Nigerians would use the next election to change the political direction of the country.

“I am therefore left with no other choice than to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities. I have no doubt that, in the coming election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the Country from this stranglehold on our beautiful country,” he said.

Explaining why he copied the EFCC in the resignation letter, Sylva accused the commission of becoming increasingly political and expressed fear that his resignation could trigger further investigation against him and his associates.

He wrote, “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.

“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take.”

The former governor expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the next general election to “vote for Nigeria” and free the country from what he described as the current “stranglehold” on the country.

Sylva expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the next election to change the political direction of the country.

The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.

His resignation from the APC also comes months after he was linked to an alleged plot against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Sylva is listed as a defendant and described as “still at large” in a 13-count federal charge involving allegations of treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering arising from the alleged plot.

Multiple reports indicate that Sylva left the country after the investigation into the alleged plot became public. Sources familiar with the investigation also said he suspended plans to return to Nigeria after learning of a raid on his Abuja residence and the arrest of some of his associates.

Investigators have reportedly identified Sylva as an alleged principal financier of the plot, accusing him of contributing about N785m through Purple Waves Limited, an Abuja-based company.

More than N5bn was reportedly pooled for the alleged operation, with investigators tracing about N785m through Purple Waves and a bureau de change operator before the funds were allegedly distributed.

Investigators also reportedly linked funds paid into Purple Waves to proceeds from contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and loans obtained by the company.

Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot. The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings and he has not been convicted.

In July 2026, the Department of State Services arraigned five of his associates for allegedly concealing his whereabouts after he was declared wanted in connection with the alleged plot. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order covering nine properties linked to Sylva following an application by the EFCC.

Sylva served as Bayelsa State governor from 2007 to 2012, with his tenure interrupted by court rulings. He later served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

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