By Abiola Olawale
Julius Bokoru, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has confirmed that military operatives recently raided the residence of his principal.
However, the aide dismissed swirling rumours linking his principal to a purported coup plot against the government of President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement on Wednesday, Bokoru described Sylva as “an unrepentant and thoroughbred democrat” who has consistently supported Tinubu.
He recalled Sylva’s recent efforts in mobilising the All Progressives Congress (APC) structures in Bayelsa to unanimously endorse Tinubu at the APC Bayelsa expanded stakeholders’ meeting.
Bokoru said Sylva and his wife were abroad during the raid, adding that the ex-minister was in the United Kingdom for routine medical checks and was scheduled to attend a professional conference in Malaysia.
The statement reads in part: “In the past forty-eight hours, I have been inundated with calls from members of the press, political associates, and concerned individuals regarding a circulating report alleging that His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, has ‘fled’ the country in connection with certain purported matters.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is true that the residence of His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was recently subjected to a raid by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters. During the said operation, considerable damage was inflicted upon the property.
“Despite sustained efforts, I have been unable to ascertain the reasons or authorisation for this raid. To the best of my knowledge, the officers involved did not provide any categorical explanation for their actions, either at the time or subsequently
“It is important to state unequivocally that His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, CON, and his esteemed wife, Her Excellency, Alanyingi Sylva, were both outside the country at the time of the incident.
“As at my last communication with His Excellency, he was engaged in a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom, after which he was scheduled to proceed to Malaysia to attend a professional conference.
“The next development I was made aware of, regrettably, was sports circulating across social media and other platforms concerning the raid on his residence.
“While the Defence Headquarters has already debunked the swirling rumours of a coup in Nigeria, it is important to state emphatically that Chief Timipre Sylva, CON, has no involvement whatsoever, either in planning or in logistics with any such plot.
“Chief Sylva is a thoroughbred democrat, whose entire political journey has been defined by his faith in democratic processes and institutions. From the 1990s, when he was first elected into the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, to his tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State, Sylva has achieved every milestone through transparent, democratic engagement and the will of the people.
“His unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a matter of public record. It remains fresh in memory how he mobilized the entire Bayelsa APC structure to unanimously endorse President Tinubu at the APC Bayelsa Expanded Stakeholders’ Meeting.
“These rumours are nothing more than the handiwork of desperate and narcissistic politicians, already consumed by ambitions for 2027, who see Sylva as their last real obstacle – a man whose political presence and credibility continue to expose their dark, self-serving ambitions.”
This comes after media reports emerged that the military raided Sylva’s residence for allegedly financing a coup plot against Tinubu.
