Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the party’s departure from the ideals upon which it was founded.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Monday.
The former governor said he reached 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 in the letter.
Describing himself as a founding member of the APC, Sylva said he was deeply disappointed
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.
His resignation comes amid ongoing legal and political controversies involving him.
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
He was also named among suspects in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and is listed as one of the defendants in a 13-count charge filed
the Federal Government in connection with the alleged coup plot.
However, Sylva said his decision to leave the APC was motivated
his opposition to what he described as a political mentality 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.
According to Sylva, the APC-led administration had failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians, adding that he could see neither a credible effort nor a realistic possibility of reforming the party.
“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.
The former governor said he was therefore left with no option but to abandon what he described as a “floundering ship”.
Sylva said he had decided “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed
its irredeemable load of iniquities”.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, he expressed confidence that Nigerians would vote in the interest of the country and bring an end to what he described as the current “stranglehold”.
Sylva, who also served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, disclosed that he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC.
He accused the anti-graft agency of failing to maintain its independence, alleging that the commission “has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of state”.
The former governor acknowledged that his resignation could trigger increased pressure against him and his associates, but said he was prepared to face 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.
