Former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress, citing what he described as the party’s abandonment of its founding principles.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Monday.
He said the decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.
“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,” the letter reads.
The former governor described himself as a founding member of the APC and expressed disappointment over the direction the party had taken.
“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.
Sylva’s resignation comes against the backdrop of ongoing legal and political controversies involving him.
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
He was also listed among suspects in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and named as one of the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over the alleged coup plot.
Despite the controversies, Sylva said his decision to quit the APC was based on his objection to what he described as a political mindset that treats “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,” the letter read.
He further criticised the current administration, saying it had disappointed Nigerians and showing little prospect of reform.
“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.”
Sylva said he consequently had no choice but to leave the party, likening the APC to a “floundering ship”.
He said he had decided “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities”.
Looking towards the 2027 general elections, the former governor expressed confidence that Nigerians would vote in the interest of the country and bring an end to what he called the present “stranglehold”.
Sylva also revealed that he had sent a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the commission of failing to maintain its independence.
He alleged that the anti-graft agency “has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of state”.
The former minister acknowledged that leaving the APC could trigger greater pressure on him and his associates, but said he was ready to accept the consequences.
“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 added.
