The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged former Bayelsa State, Ex-Gov Timipre Sylva to present himself for questioning regarding an alleged $14.86 million fraud.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale issued the statement on Monday in reaction to Sylva’s allegations that the anti-graft agency operates as an extension of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than an independent state institution.
When announcing his resignation from the APC on Monday, Sylva claimed he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, while reiterating his charge that the commission functions as a political tool for the ruling party.
The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources asserted that the Tinubu administration has failed the Nigerian public, accusing the APC of departing from its founding principles.
The former official sent the resignation letter electronically to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. He also sent copies to the APC Bayelsa State chairman, the APC national chairman and the EFCC executive chairman.
Ex-gov Timipre Sylva noted that his decision to resign from the party followed extensive consultations with his family, associates, professional colleagues, and political supporters.
He described his departure from the party as an inevitable choice, characterizing the APC as a “floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”
The former governor stated that he could no longer remain affiliated with a party whose leadership, in his view, had embraced a doctrine where “all is fair in politics.”
According to his resignation letter dated August 31, 2026, Sylva contended that the foundational principles of the APC had been “thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.”
He expressed optimism that voters would “vote for Nigeria” in the next general election to liberate the nation from what he termed its current “stranglehold.”
Backstory…
In November 2025, the EFCC declared Ex-gov Timipre Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged $14,859,257 fraud scheme involving charges of conspiracy and dishonest conversion.
His resignation from the APC comes several months after he was linked to an alleged plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a 13-count federal charge sheet alleging treason, terrorism-related offenses, conspiracy, and money laundering tied to the alleged plot, Sylva is named as a primary defendant and designated as “still at large.”
Reports indicate that Sylva fled the country shortly after news of the investigation broke. Sources familiar with the probe disclosed that he aborted plans to return to Nigeria upon learning that security agents had raided his Abuja residence and detained several of his associates.
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