Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, accusing the ruling party of abandoning the principles on which it was founded.
Sylva announced his resignation in a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The resignation takes immediate effect.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and a founding member of the APC, said he arrived at the decision after consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
He said he was disappointed by what he described as the erosion of the party’s founding ideals and the conduct of its leaders.
“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.
The former minister also criticised the political approach of the APC leadership, accusing its leaders of operating on the belief that “all is fair in politics”.
“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,” Sylva said.
He also accused the APC-led Federal Government of disappointing the majority of Nigerians and showing no credible prospect of changing direction.
“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.
Describing the APC as a “floundering ship”, Sylva said he had no option but to leave 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,” he said.
Sylva further expressed confidence that Nigerians would seek an alternative political direction at the next election.
“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 partisanship
Sylva also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on his resignation letter and accused the anti-graft agency of becoming increasingly partisan.
“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.
He said he was aware that his resignation and criticism of the APC and EFCC could lead to 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, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC and the Bayelsa State Chairman of the party.
Sylva, who served as Bayelsa governor from 2007 to 2012, is a prominent political figure in the Niger Delta.
His resignation comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sylva has also been accused of being involved in an alleged plot to remove President Bola Tinubu from office and has been charged with offences bordering on treason and terrorism.
