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 its founding principles.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
His resignation takes immediate effect.
The former governor said he arrived at the decision after consulting his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.
“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 party’s leadership and its approach to politics.
“I cannot, in all good conscience, continue to belong to a Party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics,’” he said.
According to Sylva, the principle has increasingly influenced the actions and inactions of the APC-led government.
He further accused the Federal Government of disappointing the majority of Nigerians.
“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians,” he said.
Sylva added that he saw neither a credible attempt nor the possibility of the government changing course.
Describing the APC as a “floundering ship,” he said he had no choice but to leave the party.
He also expressed confidence that Nigerians would seek a new political direction in the 2027 elections.
“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 said.
Sylva Accuses EFCC Of Political Bias
Sylva copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in his resignation letter.
He accused the anti-graft agency of increasingly acting like an arm of the ruling APC rather than an independent state institution.
“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.
The former minister also said he was aware that his resignation could trigger increased scrutiny of him 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.
The letter was also copied to the APC National Chairman and the Bayelsa State chairman.
Resignation Comes Amid Alleged Coup Case
Sylva’s exit from the APC comes amid an ongoing legal case in which he has been linked to an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
In April 2026, the Federal Government filed a 13-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against six defendants.
The charges include alleged treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
Sylva was named in the charge but was reported to be at large.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants conspired to “levy war against the state” in an attempt to overawe the President.
Sylva has been accused of involvement in the alleged conspiracy, although the allegations remain subject to judicial determination.
His resignation marks another major political break with the APC as parties and politicians reposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sylva served as Bayelsa State governor from 2007 to 2012 before becoming Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
