Daniel Otera
A Senate investigation into alleged financial misconduct by former Petroleum Minister Timipre Sylva took a dramatic turn on Friday after Senator Seriake Dickson publicly recused himself from the probe, accusing the committee of pursuing “selective justice.”
Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West and is a former governor of Bayelsa State, announced his withdrawal in a statement posted on his official Facebook page. The Senate Committee on Local Content had convened an investigative hearing into allegations that Sylva diverted $14.8 million belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
According to Dickson, he objected to the probe’s focus as soon as he realised the hearing was convened solely around the Sylva transaction.
“There should be no selective inquiry. The entire management of the fund, perhaps from inception, should be investigated, if at all, and not just one transaction,” he wrote.
He also questioned the necessity of the Senate’s intervention given that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is already prosecuting the matter.
> “It is public knowledge that the EFCC has already taken steps — meaning they have investigated and reached a certain level. I thought the Committee need not investigate that particular transaction, even though it has the powers to do so,” he said.
Dickson said his decision was further guided by a personal political principle of refusing to participate in actions that could be perceived as targeting opponents. Despite more than a decade of political rivalry with Sylva, he said he would not join any effort that appears designed to “pull down” a predecessor from his home state.
“I recused myself because the person affected is a former governor of my state my predecessor in office. I am not like typical politicians who celebrate the downfall of opponents,” he stated.
The senator emphasised that his political engagements begin and end with campaigns and legal contests, not punitive actions after elections.
“I build, I raise, I develop, I defend; I don’t destroy or pull down,” he added.
The EFCC declared Sylva wanted on November 10, 2025, over allegations of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving the $14.8 million NCDMB fund. The agency urged the public to provide information leading to his arrest.
Sylva’s camp has dismissed the EFCC’s move as politically motivated. Julius Bokoru, his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, described the development as a “coordinated political onslaught.”
“What was once whispered in corridors as a ‘coup matter’ has now quietly metamorphosed into a financial allegation. The same shadowy forces that once sought to criminalise Sylva politically now appear to have reinvented themselves as fiscal crusaders,” Bokoru said.