Timipre Sylva resigns from APC amid coup allegations

Former governor of Bayelsa State Timipre Sylva has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the party’s departure from the ideals upon which it was founded.

Sylva announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Monday.

The former governor said he made the decision after consulting his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

“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,” the letter reads.

Sylva, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, said he was saddened by the direction the party had taken.

“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.

His resignation comes amid legal and political controversies surrounding him.

In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.

He was also named among suspects in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration and is listed as one of the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the federal government over the alleged coup plot.

Sylva, however, said his decision to leave the APC was driven by his opposition to what he described as a political mentality that considers “all is fair in politics”.

“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration,” the letter read.

“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.”

The former governor said he was left with no alternative but to leave the party, describing it as a “floundering ship”.

Sylva said he had therefore decided “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities”.

Looking ahead to the next general election, he expressed confidence that Nigerians would vote for the country and end what he described as the current “stranglehold”.

The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources also disclosed that he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of failing to operate independently.

He alleged that the commission “has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of state”.

Sylva acknowledged that his decision could lead to increased pressure against him and his associates, but said he was prepared to face 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 added.