The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva to make himself available for questioning after declaring him wanted over an alleged $14.86 million fraud.

EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale made the call on Monday while responding to Sylva’s allegation that the anti-graft agency had increasingly operated as an organ of the All Progressives Congress (APC) rather than as an institution of the state.

“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said.

Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, announced his resignation from the APC on Monday, saying he had deliberately copied the EFCC in his resignation letter because of what he described as the commission’s increasing politicisation.

He also criticised the APC and the administration of President Bola Tinubu, accusing the party of abandoning the ideals on which it was founded and disappointing Nigerians.

In his resignation letter, addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and dated August 31, 2026, Sylva said his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

He described the APC as a “floundering ship” whose fate had been sealed by what he called its “irredeemable load of iniquities.”

“As a founding member of the APC, and one who joined other well-meaning Nigerians in building the Party with sweat and money, it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.”

Sylva also condemned what he described as the belief among APC leaders that “all is fair in politics,” arguing that political conduct should remain subject to basic standards of decency and morality.

“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it.”

Explaining his decision to copy the EFCC in the letter, Sylva accused the commission of behaving more like a political arm of the APC than a state institution.

“I am deliberately putting the EFCC in copy of this letter because, of late, it has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State.”

He said he was aware that leaving the party could trigger what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt” against him and his associates but added that he was prepared to accept the risk.

The former governor also accused the APC-led Federal Government of failing to meet Nigerians’ expectations, saying he could see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a meaningful revamp.

“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians.”

Sylva said he was leaving the party because he believed Nigerians would use the next general election to change the country’s political direction.

The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.

His resignation also comes months after he was linked to an alleged plot against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Sylva is listed as a defendant and described as “still at large” in a 13-count federal charge involving allegations of treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering arising from the alleged plot.

Reports have alleged that Sylva left Nigeria after the investigation became public. Investigators also reportedly identified him as an alleged principal financier of the operation, claiming that about N785 million was contributed through Purple Waves Limited.

More than N5 billion was reportedly pooled for the alleged operation, with investigators tracing about N785 million through Purple Waves and a bureau de change operator before the funds were allegedly distributed.

Investigators have also reportedly linked funds paid into Purple Waves to proceeds from contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and loans obtained by the company.

Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot, and the allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings. He has not been convicted.

In July 2026, the Department of State Services arraigned five of his associates for allegedly concealing his whereabouts after he was declared wanted over the alleged plot. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order covering nine properties linked to Sylva following an application by the EFCC.

Sylva served as Bayelsa State governor from 2007 to 2012, with his tenure interrupted by court rulings. He later served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.