By Peter Onyekachukwu 
…Says declaration is politically motivated
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Yenagoa
Former Governor of Bayelsa State and immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has described his declaration as wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a politically motivated move aimed at tarnishing his image.
Sylva, in a statement on Monday evening by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Julius Bokoru, said he would honour the EFCC’s invitation once he concludes his ongoing medical check-up in the United Kingdom.
He accused unnamed political actors of orchestrating what he called a “coordinated and calculated onslaught” against him to undermine his political relevance.
“The EFCC on Monday took to social media to announce, quite unceremoniously, that it had declared Chief Timipre Sylva wanted,” the statement said.
“No formal communication was extended to him, no established protocol observed only a sudden digital proclamation designed, it would seem, to inflame public sentiment and manufacture yet another episode of orchestrated hostility.”
Bokoru described the development as part of a larger political scheme, alleging that the case against Sylva had suspiciously evolved from a “coup matter” into a “financial allegation.”
“The same shadowy forces that once sought to criminalise Sylva politically now appear to have reinvented themselves as fiscal crusaders,” he stated.
According to him, the recent development mirrors a series of politically driven attempts to discredit Sylva.
“Each ordeal arrives with near-mathematical precision, each accusation discredited only for another to appear. These are no coincidences but deliberate machinations of those who dread Sylva’s enduring political relevance,” he added.
Bokoru clarified that while he had not spoken directly with the former minister, available information confirmed Sylva’s willingness to comply with due process once his health permits.
“Chief Timipre Sylva has clean hands. He has not diverted a single dollar, nor has he betrayed the trust reposed in him by the Nigerian people,” he said, maintaining that the refinery project in question was transparent and duly documented.
He urged Sylva’s supporters to remain calm, expressing confidence that the truth would eventually prevail.
“To our friends, allies, and well-wishers: this, too, shall pass. Those engineering this relentless campaign of defamation will not prevail, for light must always outshine darkness,” Bokoru stated.