Sylva Not Involved In Rumoured Coup Plot –Aide 

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Julius Bokoru, has refuted claims linking his principal to an alleged coup plot, saying that the report is baseless and politically motivated.

Bokoru, in a statement issued on Wednesday, stated that the rumours circulating in some quarters were the work of desperate political jobbers who are seeking to actualise their ambitions in the 2027 elections.

There were reports that military investigators probing an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu were questioning the Managing Director of a Federal Government agency in the South-South region.

Two intelligence officers had also confirmed that the official was arrested for allegedly transferring a large sum of money to Sylva, who was reportedly being accused as one of the financiers of the alleged plot. According to investigators, the funds were meant to execute the purported coup.

Speaking concerning the development, Bokoru stated that some politicians had embarked on a mischievous route since they see the former Bayelsa State governor as a major threat to their political ambitions.

Bokoru said: “His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was in the United Kingdom for routine medical checks and is scheduled to proceed to Malaysia to attend a professional conference.

“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.”

According to him, the Defence Headquarters had already discarded the rumours of a coup in Nigeria, adding that Sylva had no involvement with any such plot.

“Chief Sylva is a thoroughbred democrat whose political journey has been defined by 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,” Bokoru said.

He further pointed out that the rumours were “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 ambition”.

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