Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of abandoning the principles and ideals upon which it was founded.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The resignation takes immediate effect.
The former governor said he reached the decision after consultations with his family, political 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,” Sylva wrote.
Copies of the letter were sent to the APC National Chairman, the Bayelsa State chairman of the party and the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
‘APC has abandoned its founding ideals’
Sylva, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, said he was deeply disappointed by the direction the party had taken.
He recalled the efforts and resources he and other members invested in building the party, arguing that its current leadership had departed from the values that originally attracted Nigerians to its platform.
“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.
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The former governor also criticised what he described as a growing belief among some politicians that anything is permissible in the pursuit of political interests.
According to him, the notion that “all is fair in politics” is incompatible with basic standards of morality and decency.
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it,” he stated.
Sylva attacks Tinubu administration
Sylva’s criticism extended beyond the APC leadership to the Federal Government headed by President Bola Tinubu.
He said the APC-led administration had disappointed a large majority of Nigerians and expressed doubt that the party could still be meaningfully reformed.
“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 said.
He described the APC as a “floundering ship” whose problems, in his assessment, had become too deep to repair.
“I am therefore left with no other choice than to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities,” Sylva said.
Sylva also urged Nigerians to use the 2027 general elections to vote against the APC.
He expressed confidence that Nigerians would prioritise the country’s interests over partisan loyalty and vote for what he described as national liberation from the current political order.
“I have no doubt that, in the coming election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the Country from this stranglehold on our beautiful country,” he stated.
His comments add another prominent voice to the political opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, as parties and influential politicians reposition themselves for a major contest.
Sylva accuses EFCC of acting like APC organ
The former governor also made a direct allegation against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Explaining why he copied the EFCC chairman on his resignation letter, Sylva alleged that the anti-corruption agency had increasingly conducted itself like an arm of the ruling party rather than an independent institution of the Nigerian state.
“I am deliberately putting the EFCC in copy of this letter because, of late, it has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State,” he alleged.
Sylva said he was aware that his resignation could result in increased scrutiny of himself and his associates.
“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.
Sylva’s departure from the APC comes at a particularly sensitive moment in his political career.
The former governor has been linked by federal authorities to an alleged plot against the administration of President Tinubu. He is among the individuals named in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over the alleged plot.
The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.859 million. Those allegations remain matters for the relevant legal processes and should not be treated as established facts.
Importantly, Sylva’s resignation letter does not state that the alleged coup investigation is the reason he is leaving the APC. Instead, he frames his departure primarily as a political and moral disagreement with the direction of the party and the Federal Government.
Sylva’s resignation could have political implications beyond his personal decision.
He is a former governor of Bayelsa, a former federal minister and a long-standing figure in the APC’s political structure. His departure comes at a time when the political landscape in Bayelsa and across Nigeria is being reshaped ahead of the 2027 elections.
It also places Sylva in an unusual position: he has publicly broken with the ruling party while facing serious allegations from federal authorities.
For the APC, the resignation represents the loss of a prominent founding figure. For Sylva, it marks a dramatic break with the political platform through which he sought influence at both state and national levels.
The former governor has not, in his resignation letter, announced his next political destination or indicated which party or platform he may support in 2027.