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 upon which it was founded.
Sylva announced his resignation in a strongly worded letter dated August 31, 2026, declaring that he could no longer remain in a party whose leaders, according to him, have embraced the belief that “all is fair in politics.”
The resignation comes amid controversy surrounding Sylva, who has reportedly been declared wanted over an alleged coup plot.
Since the development, the former governor has not been seen publicly, while his associates have said he is currently abroad without disclosing his location.
However, his resignation letter did not dwell on the alleged coup plot but focused largely on his grievances against the APC leadership and the Tinubu administration.
Sylva electronically transmitted the letter to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Copies were also 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).
Sylva said he reached the decision to leave the APC after 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,” he stated.
The former governor described himself as a founding member of the APC, recalling his role and that of other Nigerians in establishing and building the party.
He said it was particularly painful to witness what he described as the abandonment of the ideals that initially attracted him to the party.
“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,” Sylva said.
He also criticised the conduct of the party’s leadership, arguing that political calculations should not supersede morality, decency and basic standards of conduct.
“Moreover, I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to belong to a party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics,’ and have consistently demonstrated that belief in practice,” he said.
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it.”
Sylva further attacked the Tinubu administration, accusing it of disappointing the majority of Nigerians.
According to him, he could neither see a credible attempt by the administration to reverse its alleged failures nor any realistic prospect of a meaningful turnaround.
“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.
He said he was therefore left with no option but to quit the party.
“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.
The former minister expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the next general election to change the country’s political direction.
“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.
Read also:
- More revelation as DIA, NFIU, EFCC trace alleged coup funds to Timipre Sylva; Abuja home raided, Sylva denies involvement
- EFCC declares Former Minister Timipre Sylva wanted over alleged $14.8m fraud
- Sylva’s Aide Cautions Against Media Trial Over Coup Allegation Against Ex-Minister
Sylva also used the resignation letter to take a swipe at the EFCC, which he deliberately copied in the correspondence.
He alleged that the anti-corruption agency has increasingly conducted itself as though it were an arm of the ruling APC 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,” Sylva alleged.
The former governor acknowledged that his resignation could expose him and his associates to increased scrutiny and possible investigations.
He said he was prepared to face the consequences of his decision despite the possibility of what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt.”
“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,” Sylva stated.
