Timipre Sylva Resigns From APC, Accuses Party of Abandoning Founding Ideals

Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the ruling party of abandoning the principles upon which it was founded.

Sylva announced his resignation in a letter dated August 31, 2026, electronically delivered to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The former Bayelsa State governor, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, said he arrived at the decision after consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

In the letter, Sylva expressed disappointment over what he described as the reversal of the party’s founding ideals, saying it was “deeply saddening” to see the principles he and other members helped build the party around being “so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.”

He also criticised what he described as the belief among APC leaders that “all is fair in politics,” arguing that such an approach was incompatible with basic decency and morality.

“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians,” Sylva said, adding that he could see “neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp.”

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Explaining his decision to leave the party, the former minister said he was “left with no other choice than to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”

Sylva further expressed confidence that Nigerians would reject the ruling party in the next election, saying, “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 also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the resignation letter, accusing the agency of increasingly acting “more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State.”

Sylva acknowledged that his resignation could lead to increased scrutiny from the anti-graft agency but said he was prepared to accept the consequences.

“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.

Sylva’s resignation comes ahead of the 2027 general elections and marks a significant departure from the APC by a prominent founding member and former senior member of the President Bola Tinubu administration.