The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, to present himself for questioning over an alleged $14.86 million financial fraud.
The anti-graft agency’s call came shortly after Sylva announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of abandoning its founding principles and alleging that the EFCC had become too closely aligned with the party.
Sylva had on Monday formally resigned his membership of the APC, stating that he had reached the decision after consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
In his resignation letter, dated August 31, 2026, and addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the former Bayelsa governor said he could no longer remain in a party whose leadership, in his view, had abandoned basic standards of morality and decency.
He also forwarded a copy of the resignation letter to the EFCC and accused the commission of behaving more like an arm of the APC than an independent institution of the Nigerian state.
The EFCC, however, has responded by reminding Sylva that he remains wanted by the commission and should make himself available to answer questions relating to the allegations against him.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, in a conversation with Punch, said: “He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission.”
The commission had declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.
Renewed Witch-hunt
The former minister has also been named as a defendant in a separate 13-count federal charge in which he is reportedly listed as “still at large”. The charges include allegations bordering on treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering linked to an alleged plot against the government.
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Sylva’s latest confrontation with the EFCC therefore comes at a particularly sensitive time, with his political exit from the APC adding another layer to the controversies surrounding him.
In his resignation letter, Sylva described the APC as a “floundering ship” whose problems had become difficult to redeem. He further argued that the government elected under the party’s platform had disappointed many Nigerians.
The former governor also suggested that leaving the APC could expose him and his associates to increased scrutiny from security and anti-corruption agencies.
He said he was aware that his decision could trigger what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt”, but insisted that he was prepared to take the risk.
The EFCC’s latest position makes clear that Sylva’s political resignation does not alter his status in the agency’s ongoing investigation.
For now, the former minister faces a direct demand from the commission: make himself available and respond to the allegations for which he was previously declared wanted.