Former Petroleum Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the party’s abandonment of its founding principles and growing concerns about the conduct of the current administration.
Sylva, who was among the founding members of the APC, disclosed his decision in a resignation letter addressed to the party chairman. He said the decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
Sylva’s resignation comes amid an ongoing legal case over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The Federal Government has named the former Bayelsa State governor in a 13 count charge filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging his involvement in the alleged coup plot. Sylva, who is not among the suspects currently in custody, has been reported to be at large. Five associates were also arraigned by the DSS over allegations that they concealed his whereabouts.
In the letter, Sylva expressed disappointment over what he described as the “thorough” and “unrecognisable” thwarting of the ideals that inspired him and other members to establish the APC.
He said he could no longer, “in all good conscience,” remain in a party whose leaders, in his view, operate on the principle that “all is fair in politics.”
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it,” Sylva stated.
The former minister also criticised the Federal Government, arguing that the administration established under the APC had failed a significant number of Nigerians.
He said he could not identify either a credible effort or a realistic prospect of reforming the party and its administration.
Sylva said he was consequently compelled to abandon what he described as a “floundering ship”, while expressing confidence that Nigerians would use the next election to “vote for Nigeria” and liberate the country from what he termed a political stranglehold.
Sylva Copies EFCC
In a significant part of the resignation letter, Sylva said he intentionally copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the agency of recently behaving more like an APC organ than an institution of the Nigerian state.
He acknowledged that his departure could expose him and his associates to what he described as a possible “redoubled witch-hunt”, but said he was willing to bear the consequences.
Sylva ended the letter by reaffirming his commitment to Nigeria and signed it as Chief Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
His resignation represents a major political development within the APC, particularly given his role as a founding member and influential political figure from the Niger Delta.
The development is likely to attract reactions within political circles as parties and politicians intensify realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
