Former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State has left the All Progressives Congress (APC). He accused the ruling party of forgetting the principles it was built on.
Sylva announced his resignation on Monday in a letter to the APC chairperson in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He also claimed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) acts like “an organ of the APC.”
His resignation comes as he is still wanted by the EFCC over an alleged $14.85 million fraud case. He has also been named a suspect in a supposed plan to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
Sylva said he decided to leave the APC after talking with his family, friends, colleagues, and supporters. “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 unrecognizably thwarted,” he stated.
The former minister of state for petroleum resources said the APC government has let many Nigerians down. He cannot see any real effort to change its course. He described the party as a “founding ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities.”
He believes that Nigerians will want a change in government during the 2027 elections. “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 added.
Sylva accuses EFCC of bias
Sylva copied the EFCC on his resignation letter. He said the commission behaves more like a part of the ruling party than a state agency. “I am deliberately putting the EFCC in a copy of this letter because, of late, it conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of the state,” he said, without giving proof.
He knows that leaving the APC and making such claims might lead to more scrutiny of him and his associates. “I am fully aware that my actions may invite a redoubled witch hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he explained.
In November 2025, the EFCC declared Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257. This case involves funds that were supposedly provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for building the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
Sylva has previously questioned how the EFCC handled the case through his spokesperson, Julius Bokoru. Bokoru accused the commission of not following the proper steps before declaring Sylva wanted.
Allegations of a coup plot
Sylva’s resignation also comes months after he was connected to an alleged plot to overthrow Tinubu’s government. He is one of the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the federal government regarding this alleged coup plot.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in February that investigators named Sylva as the main financier of the plot. They say he contributed about N785 million through Purple Waves Limited, a company based in Abuja.
Sylva has denied any involvement in the alleged coup. Further investigations revealed that over N5 billion was pooled into an account linked to the plot. Investigators traced about N785 million to Sylva’s supposed contribution. They said the money was moved through Purple Waves Limited and a Bureau de Change operator before being given to those involved.
Another investigation found that funds credited to Purple Waves may have included money linked to a Niger Delta Development Commission contract and loans obtained by the company. Investigators identified Sylva as central to the alleged financing.
Sylva has not been convicted of any allegations. In July, the State Security Service charged five of his associates for hiding his location after he was declared wanted in connection with the coup plot. The defendants pleaded not guilty.
In May, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the temporary forfeiture of nine properties linked to him after an application by the EFCC.
Impact on politics
Sylva’s exit takes a major Niger Delta politician out of the APC as political moves begin for the 2027 elections. In Bayelsa, where Sylva is from, the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), with Seriake Dickson as its national leader, is gaining strength.
Dickson, a serving senator, is a former governor of Bayelsa. The NDC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections is Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State.
Sylva was Bayelsa governor from 2007 to 2012 and later became minister of state for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari. His resignation comes amid rising criticism of the Tinubu administration regarding the economy and governance, with opposition parties looking to build support ahead of the next general election.
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