Timipre Sylva Quits APC in Explosive Resignation Letter, Criticises Tinubu Government

Former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, saying the party has departed from the ideals upon which it was founded.

Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, announced the decision in a resignation letter dated August 31, 2026.

The resignation took immediate effect.

The letter was electronically delivered to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Sylva said he had consulted widely with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers before deciding to leave the party.

He described himself as a founding member of the APC and said he had contributed to the party’s formation and development.

However, he said he was deeply disappointed by what he described as the erosion of the principles that the APC was originally established to promote.

The former governor criticised the party’s approach to politics, saying he could not continue to belong to an organisation whose leaders, in his assessment, had embraced the idea that “all is fair in politics”.

Sylva said such an approach conflicted with basic standards of morality and decency.

He also criticised the Federal Government under the APC, alleging that it had disappointed the majority of Nigerians.

According to him, there was neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a meaningful revamp of the government’s direction.

Sylva described the APC as a “floundering ship” and said he had no other choice but to leave.

He also said he believed Nigerians would vote for a different political direction in the coming election.

The former governor further accused the EFCC of increasing partisanship.

In a notable move, he copied the EFCC chairman on his resignation letter and alleged that the commission had recently conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of state.

Sylva acknowledged that the decision to leave the ruling party and criticise the anti-graft agency could bring increased scrutiny upon him and his associates.

He said he was willing to accept that risk.

The letter was also copied to the APC national chairman and the Bayelsa State chairman of the party.

Sylva’s resignation comes as Nigeria’s political landscape begins to shift ahead of the next electoral cycle, with politicians and political groups increasingly positioning themselves for the contests ahead.