Sylva quits APC, says party has abandoned its founding ideals

Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC, accusing the ruling party of drifting away from the principles on which it was established.

Sylva, who is also a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, 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 decision comes amid controversy over reports that he has been declared wanted in connection with an alleged coup plot. Sylva has not been publicly seen since the development, while his camp has said he is outside Nigeria without disclosing his location.

However, the former governor did not mention the alleged coup investigation as the reason for his resignation. Instead, he devoted the letter to his growing disagreement with the APC leadership and the performance of the Federal Government.

Sylva said he reached the decision after consultations with his family, associates, political 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,” he stated.

Describing himself as a founding member of the APC, Sylva said he had invested considerable effort and resources in building the party and was disappointed by what he described as the abandonment of its original ideals.

He said the development was particularly painful because the principles that initially attracted him and other members to the party had, in his view, been substantially eroded.

Sylva also criticised the attitude of some APC leaders, accusing them of operating on the assumption that political interests justified any action.

“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,” he said.

The former governor argued that political conduct should remain subject to morality, decency and established standards.

He further faulted the APC-led Federal Government, alleging that its policies and performance had disappointed a large section of Nigerians.

According to Sylva, he could neither identify a convincing effort to address the administration’s shortcomings nor see a realistic prospect of a significant change in direction.

He consequently likened his departure to abandoning a troubled vessel whose problems, he claimed, had become too deep to correct.

Sylva expressed optimism that voters would use the 2027 general elections to demand a change in the country’s political direction.

“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.

The former governor copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in his resignation letter and accused the anti-graft agency of acting increasingly like an extension of 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 also acknowledged that his resignation could expose him and those around him to greater scrutiny, particularly against the backdrop of the controversies surrounding him.

He said he was prepared to accept whatever consequences might follow, including what he described as a possible renewed “witch-hunt”.

“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 stated.

Copies of the resignation letter were also sent to the APC national chairman, the Bayelsa State APC chairman and the EFCC chairman.