The Senior Adviser on Media and Communications to Chief Timipre Sylva, who is the Bayelsa state All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate, Horatius Egua has disclosed that all legal issues regarding his principal’s credentials have been legally resolved.
To this end, he said anyone who imputed that Sylva did not go to school or falsified his certificate is a clear demonstration of a man who suffers from memory loss, and declared that there was no room for blackmailers to fester on the allegation.
Egua in a statement he issued in Abuja on Wednesday, said anyone who is in doubt about Sylva’s academic qualifications or certification should go to the University of Port Harcourt where he graduated in 1986.
He said: “In the past few months, there have been series of attacks and campaigns of calumny against Chief Timipre Sylva in the media, falsely accusing him of all sorts of a misdemeanour, including falsification of certificate and defamation. A careful analysis of all the publications reveal an orchestrated attempt by some disgruntled elements and known blackmailers to dampen the political enthusiasm and commitment of Chief Timipre Sylva to the call to continue his service to the nation and Bayelsa State in particular.
“Since emerging as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial candidate for Bayelsa State, a certain Timi Frank, a political prostitute, and jobber has been busy making an unsubstantiated allegation against Chief Timipre Sylva, doing the bidding of his paymaster. Through his attention-seeking and imbecilic allegations, he has thrown overboard decency and resorted to gutter tactics in confusing the ordinary person on the street.
“Ordinarily, Chief Sylva would not want to dignify the character behind this defamatory publication with any response but for the purpose of letting the general public, especially the good people of Bayelsa know the reasons for these barrage of attacks, we have decided to address a few issues raised in the publication.
“On the alleged use of multiple names by Chief Timipre Sylva, recalled that a Federal High Court, in Abuja, in 2023 dismissed the alleged certificate forgery case filed by the Transparency Advocacy for Development Initiative, TADI, against Chief Timipre Sylva. The court in a copy of its ruling dated March 8th dismissed the matter following an application by the lawyer to the plaintiff, Edward Onaga, seeking the withdrawal of the case.
“TADI had dragged Sylva to court demanding his suspension from office and prosecution for allegedly giving false evidence and presenting false academic credentials for all political positions he held so far. The group claimed it found that the Minister mismatched names on his academic credentials among other allegations.
“It is worthy to note that Chief Timipre Sylva has already sworn an affidavit in respect of the identity issue and has gone ahead to do a Deed Poll, which has already been gazetted. So all legal processes have been duly followed. So for anyone to impute that Chief Sylva did not go to school or falsified his certificate is a clear demonstration of a man who suffers from memory loss.
“Anyone who is in doubt about Chief Sylva’s academic qualifications or certification can also go to the University of Port Harcourt where he graduated in 1986. His classmates are everywhere in Nigeria. Rotimi Amaechi former Minister of Transportation is one of his classmates and the Abia State Governor-elect who is the current president of the University Of Port Harcourt Alumni was a year behind Chief Sylva, at the university.
“These unfounded allegations against Chief Sylva are clearly borne out of the minds of those elements who could do nothing to halt the impending move to take Bayelsa state from those who have kept the state on its kneels in the last decade.
“Chief Sylva has resolved not to be intimidated or blackmailed into buckling down because of any sponsored falsehood and harassment from any quarters”.
