FORMER Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sylva, announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Monday, August 31.
He said the decision followed consultations with his family, associates, 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,” Sylva said.
Sylva, a founding member of the APC, said he was disappointed by the direction of the party and what he described as the abandonment of the ideals on which it was founded.
He said he could no longer remain in a party where its leaders believe that “all is fair in politics”.
“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,” he said.
The former Bayelsa governor said he had therefore decided to leave what he described as a “floundering ship” whose fate appeared to have been sealed.
He also expressed confidence that Nigerians would make a different political choice in the 2027 general election.
The former governor also said he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the agency of conducting itself “more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State”.
He said he was aware that his decision could lead to what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt” against him and his associates.
Background
Sylva’s resignation comes against the backdrop of his recent legal and political troubles involving the Federal Government and its agencies.
In November 2025, the EFCC declared Sylva wanted over an alleged $14.85 million fraud connected to funds provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for the construction of the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The commission said it obtained a warrant for his arrest from the Federal High Court in Lagos on November 6, 2025.
Sylva, however, rejected the allegations and accused the EFCC of pursuing a politically motivated case against him.
Through his media aide, Julius Bokoru, the former governor said the commission’s action was part of what he described as a coordinated campaign to damage his reputation.
Sylva maintained that he had not diverted any funds and described the refinery project at the centre of the investigation as legitimate, transparent and supported by traceable documentation.
The EFCC’s action came shortly after security operatives raided Sylva’s residence in Abuja in October 2025 in connection with an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
Although Sylva was not at home at the time of the operation, his media aide confirmed the raid and rejected any connection between the former governor and the alleged coup plot.
In January 2026, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that investigations had established that some military personnel were involved in a plot to overthrow Tinubu.
The Federal Government subsequently filed a 13-count charge at the Federal High Court in Abuja against seven defendants, including Sylva, over the alleged coup plot.
The charges included treason, terrorism-related offences, failure to disclose information about an alleged treasonable act and alleged terrorism financing.
In the charge, the Federal Government listed Sylva as being “still at large” and accused him and other defendants of conspiring to “levy war against the state to overawe” the president.
Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M