Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC, accusing the party and the Federal Government of abandoning the ideals on which the party 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 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,” Sylva said.
He expressed disappointment with the direction of the party, recalling his role as one of its founding members and his contribution to its growth.
“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 while explaining his decision further said he could no longer remain in a political party where its leaders appear to operate on the belief that “all is fair in politics.”
He argued that politics, like every other aspect of life, should be guided by basic principles of democracy, decency and morality.
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it,” he said.
“Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration.”
Sylva also criticised the Federal Government under the APC, saying it had disappointed many Nigerians and showing little indication of being able to regain public confidence.
“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.
The former governor said he consequently had no choice but to leave what he described as a “floundering ship” whose future, in his view, had been compromised by its “irredeemable load of iniquities.”
He expressed optimism that Nigerians would make their voices heard at the next general election by voting for what he described as the interest of the country.
“I have therefore chosen to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities,” Sylva said.
“I am confident that at the next general election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free our country from the current stranglehold.”
Sylva’s resignation comes amid legal and political controversies surrounding the former governor.
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared him wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14.86m.
The former governor was also listed among the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Sylva has now sent a copy of his APC resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of acting more like an organ of the ruling party than an independent institution of the state.
“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.
Despite the controversies surrounding him, Sylva maintained that his decision to leave the APC was based on his conviction that the party had moved away from the principles that originally attracted him to it.
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