Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, says his principal is the target of a politically-driven campaign.
Naijaonpoint reports that his reaction followed Monday’s announcement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the EFCC said the funds were part of monies invested by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The agency urged anyone with information regarding Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any EFCC office or the nearest police station.
Responding to the development, Bokoru accused the EFCC of acting in bad faith, describing the announcement as a “digital proclamation” designed to provoke public hostility toward the former minister.
He said Sylva was never contacted through any formal channel before the notice was issued.
The statement reads, “It is, to say the least, curious that what was once whispered in corridors as a coup matter has now quietly metamorphosed into a financial allegation.
“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.
“The same shadowy forces that once sought to criminalise Sylva politically now appear to have reinvented themselves as fiscal crusaders.”
Bokoru said the former governor’s current ordeal was part of a sustained effort by political rivals who “dread Sylva’s enduring relevance and moral resolve”.
He added that Sylva, who is currently in the United Kingdom (UK) for medical reasons, would honour the EFCC’s invitation upon his return.
Bokoru said, “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. The refinery project in question is a legitimate, transparent, and verifiable undertaking, subject to due process and traceable documentation.”
The media aide urged Sylva’s supporters to remain calm, saying “truth, though often delayed, remains immutable.”
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