Aareonakakanfo:
[b]THE last is yet to be heard of the N19.5 billion corruption case against Bayelsa State’s former governor, Timipre Sylva, who was discharged by an Abuja court.

According to Nigerian Pilot, a highly placed source in the office of the National Legal Advisor to the All
Progressives Congress, APC, yesterday said the
governorship ambition of former Governor Slyva is
hanging in the balance over the corruption charges
brought against him before an Abuja High court.

According to the source, the leadership of the party,
particularly President Muhammadu Buhari, is not
comfortable fielding him as the candidate of the APC for the December gubernatorial election because of the corruption charges.

ALSO READ: Bayelsa Primary: “You Can’t Nullify My
Election,” Sylva Tells APC Chair, Oyegun

Further, the source added that recently the
President allegedly asked Sylva to go and trash the
allegation of N19 billon before contesting the said
election.

He said that apart from the President, party
leaders like the national chairman of the APC, Chief
John Oyegun; Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bisi Akande and
Chief Audu Ogbeh, are more comfortable with the
emergence of Timi Alaibe as the party’s candidate in
the election.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, filed fresh charges against Sylva at the Federal
High Court, Abuja.

The commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren
stated that Sylva is charged alongside Francis
Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku.

They are being prosecuted for allegedly using three
companies, Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering
Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction
and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion
from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012,
under false pretence of using the withdrawn money
to augment salaries of the state government workers.

ALSO READ: Bayelsa Guber: Remove Oshiomhole,
Niger Delta Leaders Tell Buhari, Oyegun

The action of the anti-graft agency comes after
Justice AR Mohammed of the Federal High Court
dismissed the 42-count charge of stealing brought
against Sylva and his co-accused by the EFCC, with
the excuse that the prosecution’s application to
consolidate the charges against the defendants
amounted to an abuse of court process.

The commission faulted the ruling on the
ground that it was premature, as the accused
persons had not taken any plea before the
court.“The action of the trail judge stalled the move
by the anti-graft agency to consolidate the charges
against the former governor having, days earlier,
withdrawn similar charges pending before Justice ES Chukwu of the same court,” Uwujaren said, adding that EFCC awaits the assignment of the case, to pave way for the arraignment of Sylva and others.

Sylva was declared winner of the controversial APC
governorship primary held on Monday in Yenegoa
the Bayelsa State capital, but the national secretariat of the party cancelled the exercise, saying it was marred with violence and malpractices following protest by the Edo State governor, Adams
Oshomole, who served as the returning officer for
the primary.

http://savinggracereporters.com/headline/corruption-go-and-clear-your-name-buhari-tells-sylva/
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