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Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the party’s alleged departure from the principles and ideals upon which it was founded.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Monday.
The former governor said he arrived at the decision after consulting with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
“Having consulted widely with my family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers, I wish to formally tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), with immediate effect,” he stated.
Sylva, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, expressed disappointment over the direction of the party, saying the ideals that inspired its formation had been significantly eroded.
“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,” he said.
His resignation comes amid ongoing legal and political controversies involving him.
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.
He was also named among individuals accused in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and is listed as a defendant in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over the alleged coup plot.
However, Sylva said his decision to quit the APC was not primarily driven by the controversies surrounding him but by his opposition to what he described as a political philosophy that suggests “all is fair in politics.”
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration,” he said.
The former governor further criticised the APC-led Federal Government, alleging that it had failed to live up to the expectations of Nigerians.
“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians. And I can see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp,” he stated.
Sylva said the situation left him with little choice but to withdraw from the party, which he described as a “floundering ship.”
He added that he had decided “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Sylva expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the ballot to reject what he described as the current political “stranglehold” and vote in the interest of the country.
The former minister also disclosed that he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, while accusing the anti-graft agency of failing to maintain its independence.
According to him, the commission “has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of state.”
Sylva acknowledged that his resignation could expose him and his associates to increased political and legal pressure but said he was prepared to bear the consequences of his decision.
“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he said.
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