Former Minister for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress., APC.
In his resignation letter dated Monday, August 31, 2026, and addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the former governor described himself as the founding member of the APC, accused the party of abandoning its founding ideals.
According to him, the decision was made after wide 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 statement reads.
“As 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”.
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest of $14,859,257.
He was also named as a suspect in the alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is one of the defendants listed in the 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over the alleged plot to topple the Government.
The former governor said he decided to leave the APC because he cannot belong to a party whose leaders believe that “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 statement reads.
“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 therefore had no other choice than “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities”.
Sylva expressed confidence that in the upcoming general election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the country from the current “stranglehold”.
The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources also disclosed that he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of failing to operate independently.
He alleged 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 decision could lead to increased pressure against him and his associates, but said he was prepared to face the consequences.
-9News Nigeria.
