- Safiu Kehinde
Julius Bokorun, the Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, debunked claims of his principal’s involvement in the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
This is coming hours after the Abuja residence of the ex-Bayelsa governor was raided by the Nigerian Army personnel with his brother reportedly arrest.
An exclusive report by Sahara Reporters had suggested that the raid was conducted over Sylva’s alleged connection with the coup plot which had since led to the detention of 16 senior military officers.
While confirming the raid of the ex-Bayelsa governor’s house, Bokorun, in a statement issued on his Facebook page on Wednesday, held that no explanation was provided by the officers who carried out the raid.
“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.” He said.
Borokun thereafter dispelled reports of the raid being carried out on account of Sylva’s involvement in the alleged coup plot.
“The next development I was made aware of, regrettably, were reports 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.” Borokun said.
As against claim of the ex-governor fleeing his residence before the raid, the media aide said Sylva and his wife had been out of the country long before the raid.
He said Sylva was engaged in routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom before travielling to Malaysia to attend a professional conference.
“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.” He wrote.
Bokorun described Sylva as a thorough bred democrat with an unwavering support to Tinubu.
“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.” The statement added.