Former Governor of Bayelsa State and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of abandoning the ideals and values that inspired its formation.
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 former governor said his decision followed extensive consultations with his family, political associates, colleagues and supporters.
“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 in the letter.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the departure of the party from the principles upon which it was founded, noting that he was among Nigerians who invested considerable efforts and resources in building the APC.
“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 further accused the party’s leadership of operating without regard for morality and decency in the pursuit of political interests.
“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. All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it,” he stated.
The former minister also criticised the administration formed under the APC, claiming that it had failed to meet the expectations of many Nigerians.
“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 consequently urged Nigerians to use the 2027 general elections to reject the ruling party, expressing confidence that voters would seek political change.
Sylva’s resignation letter was reportedly copied to the APC National Chairman, the Bayelsa State Chairman of the party and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former Bayelsa governor also accused the EFCC of political bias, alleging that the anti-graft agency had recently conducted itself as though it were aligned with the ruling party.
“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.
Sylva’s resignation comes amid increasing political realignments and activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, as opposition politicians and political groups intensify efforts to challenge the APC for control of the Federal Government. Reports published on August 31 confirmed that he resigned with immediate effect and cited the alleged abandonment of the party’s founding ideals as a central reason for his decision.
