The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has asked former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, to make himself available for questioning over an alleged $14.86 million fraud case.
The commission’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, made the call while responding to Sylva’s accusation that the anti-graft agency has increasingly acted like an organ of the All Progressives Congress, APC, rather than an independent institution of the state.
Oyewale, who was asked to respond to Sylva’s claims, said the former governor should report to the commission because he remains wanted in connection with the investigation. “He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” he said.
Sylva announced his resignation from the APC on Monday, saying he had also forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC.
In the letter, addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Sylva criticized the party’s leadership and accused the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu of failing to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
The resignation letter was delivered electronically and copied to the APC national chairman, the EFCC executive chairman and the chairman of the APC in Bayelsa State.
Sylva said his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters. The former governor described the APC as a “floundering ship” whose direction, in his view, has been undermined by what he called serious failures and the abandonment of the party’s founding principles.
“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,” he said.
Sylva also criticized what he described as a political culture in which party leaders believe that “all is fair in politics.”
He argued that political activities should remain subject to basic standards of decency and morality.
The former governor further said the APC-led Federal Government had disappointed many Nigerians and expressed doubt that the administration could still significantly change its direction.
“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians,” Sylva stated.
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He said he believed Nigerians would use the next general election to determine a new political direction for the country.
Explaining why he copied the EFCC in his resignation letter, Sylva accused the commission of becoming increasingly political.
He said he was aware that his resignation from the APC could expose him and his associates to further investigations but maintained that he was prepared to face the consequences.
“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 wrote.
The former governor also said he feared the resignation could lead to what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt” against him and his associates.
The EFCC, however, has maintained that Sylva should appear before the commission to address the allegations against him.
The commission declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
Sylva’s latest dispute with the EFCC comes amid other investigations and legal proceedings involving the former governor.
He is listed as a defendant in a 13-count federal charge connected to allegations including treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering arising from an alleged plot against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings, and Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot. He has not been convicted of the offences.
Reports indicate that Sylva left Nigeria after details of the investigation into the alleged plot emerged. Sources familiar with the matter have also linked his continued absence from the country to developments surrounding investigations into his associates.
Investigators have reportedly accused Sylva of being a principal financier of the alleged operation and linked about N785 million to him through Purple Waves Limited, an Abuja-based company.
More than N5 billion was reportedly identified as having been pooled for the alleged operation, with investigators tracing part of the funds through Purple Waves and a bureau de change operator.
Investigators have also reportedly linked money paid into Purple Waves to contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and loans obtained by the company.
In July 2026, the Department of State Services arraigned five of Sylva’s associates over allegations that they concealed his whereabouts after he was declared wanted. The defendants pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
Earlier, 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 governor of Bayelsa State 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.
His resignation from the APC now places his political future under fresh scrutiny, while the EFCC continues to seek his appearance in connection with the $14.86 million investigation.
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