Former Minister of Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, has dismissed reports by Sahara Reporters claiming that he instigated thugs to attack a traditional chiefs’ meeting in Bayelsa State.

The governor gave the online publication a seven-day ultimatum to retract its statement, maintaining that it was inaccurate reporting.

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, the former Bayelsa governor said even persons trying to link him to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa knew it was false.

The statement said: “Even those that are trying to connect this act to the former governor know that it is false. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a chief; former Governor of Bayelsa State and former Minister of State for Petroleum, Sylva has consistently eschewed violence in all its forms.

“As governor, Sylva played a pivotal role in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which successfully brought ex-militants out of the creeks and ushered in peace in the Niger Delta, thereby maintaining respectable oil revenue.

“His governorship remains the most peaceful in the state’s history. It is perplexing, therefore, that Sahara Reporters would seek to portray Sylva as violent without any tangible evidence”.

The statement emphasised that the viral video could not be linked to Sylva, who was in Abuja at the time the incident occurred, and that the perpetrators had no known affiliations with him or his supporters.

It added, “One wonders what investigative rigor Sahara Reporters employed to arrive at such a verdict. While Nigerian journalism has made significant strides, Sahara Reporters, owned by a serial presidential candidate, has unfortunately regressed. It has become a tool for targeting innocent Nigerians at the behest of anonymous parties.

“Other reputable media houses in Nigeria would reject such a hatchet job, as evident in media algorithms. Sahara Reporters has devolved into a rogue outfit scavenging for scraps and clients with ulterior motives.

“This is a far cry from the standards of the Nigerian press. The Nigerian Union of Journalists should address this anomaly masquerading as a media unit.

“Chief Sylva gives Sahara Reporters seven working days to offer a public apology, rephrase their post, or defend their position in court.”