Julius Bokoru, special assistant on media and public affairs to Timipre Sylva, former minister of state for petroleum resources, says his principal is the target of a politically motivated campaign.
On Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
In a statement signed by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, the commission said the money was part of funds invested by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The agency urged anyone with useful information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices or the nearest police station.
Reacting to the development, Bokoru described the EFCC’s announcement as a “digital proclamation” aimed at stirring public hostility against Sylva.
He said the former minister was not informed through any formal channel before the notice was made public.
“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,” the statement read.
“No formal communication was extended to him, no established protocol observed — only a sudden digital proclamation seemingly designed 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.
“Chief Timipre Sylva has clean hands,” Bokoru said.
“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.”
In October, soldiers reportedly raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa, arresting his brother following allegations linking the former Bayelsa governor to a failed plot to overthrow the Bola Tinubu administration.
Bokoru confirmed the raids on Sylva’s residences but insisted that the claims were politically motivated.
