The Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Julius Bokoru, has rejected claims linking his principal to an alleged coup attempt, describing them as unfounded and politically driven.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Bokoru said the circulating rumours were crafted by “desperate and self-seeking politicians seeking to actualise their ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.”
Earlier reports by The PUNCH indicated that military investigators probing a purported plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu were interrogating the Managing Director of a Federal Government agency in the South-South region.
Two intelligence officers had reportedly confirmed that the official was arrested for allegedly transferring a large sum of money to Sylva, who was allegedly being fingered as one of the financiers of the plot. Investigators reportedly believed the funds were intended to fund the coup.
Addressing the matter, Bokoru insisted that some politicians had turned to mischief because they viewed the former Bayelsa State governor as a major threat to their political aspirations.
He said, such “wicked politicians” had gone to “nauseating levels” of desperation, driven by Sylva’s formidable political presence and credibility, which continually exposed their “self-serving ambitions and evil agenda.”
Describing Sylva as an “unrepentant and thoroughbred democrat,” Bokoru highlighted the former governor’s consistent support for President Bola Tinubu. He recalled that Sylva recently rallied the entire All Progressives Congress structure in Bayelsa State to unanimously endorse President Tinubu at the APC Bayelsa expanded stakeholders’ meeting.
Bokoru also confirmed that Sylva’s Abuja residence was recently raided by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters, resulting in significant property damage. He noted that neither Sylva nor his wife were at home during the raid.
“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,” Bokoru explained.
He added that reports claiming Sylva had fled the country in connection with the alleged coup were false.
“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,” Bokoru said.
He further noted that the Defence Headquarters had already dismissed the rumours of a coup in Nigeria and affirmed that Sylva had no involvement, either in planning or logistics.
“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 reiterated 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 ambitions.”
