By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, to appear before the agency for questioning over an alleged $14.86m fraud case.
The commission declared Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, made the call on Monday while responding to accusations by the former governor that the anti-graft agency had become more of a political arm of the All Progressives Congress than a state institution.
“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said.
The development came on the same day Sylva announced his resignation from the APC after more than a decade as a member of the ruling party.
In his resignation letter, which was addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Sylva said he had also sent copies to the national chairman of the party, the EFCC chairman and the APC chairman in Bayelsa State.
Sylva said his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
He described the APC as a “floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”
The former governor also accused the party’s leadership of abandoning the principles that informed its creation.
In the letter dated August 31, 2026, Sylva 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 unrecognisably 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 further criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the Federal Government had failed to live up to 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 had decided to leave the party because he believed Nigerians would seek a political change at the next election.
“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.
Sylva also explained why he copied the EFCC in his resignation letter, accusing the commission of acting in a manner that suggested political alignment with the APC.
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 EFCC had declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over the alleged $14.86m transaction.
The former governor has also been linked to an alleged plot against the Tinubu administration. He is listed as a defendant in a 13-count Federal High Court charge that includes allegations of treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering.
He has denied involvement in the alleged plot.
Reports linked Sylva to an alleged financial contribution of about N785m to the purported operation through Purple Waves Limited, an Abuja-based company. Investigators reportedly traced the money through the company and a bureau de change operator.
The wider investigation allegedly involved more than N5bn, which investigators said was pooled for the operation. Funds paid into Purple Waves were also reportedly linked to contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission and loans secured by the company.
The allegations remain before the courts, and Sylva has not been convicted of the offences.
In July 2026, the Department of State Services arraigned five associates of the former governor over allegations that they concealed his whereabouts after he was declared wanted in connection with the alleged plot. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
Earlier, in May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order over nine properties linked to Sylva following an application by the EFCC.
Sylva served as governor of Bayelsa State from 2007 to 2012, although his tenure was affected by court decisions. He later served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
