Former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing the party and the administration it produced of abandoning the principles on which the party 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. He said he reached the decision after consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.

The former governor described himself as a founding member of the APC who contributed to building the party, saying it was painful to see what he called the “ideals we espoused” become unrecognisable.

Sylva also took aim at the APC-led Federal Government, arguing that its policies and conduct had disappointed many Nigerians. He said he could neither see a credible effort to change course nor any realistic prospect of the party being meaningfully reformed.

“I cannot belong to a party whose leaders believe that ‘all is fair in politics’,” Sylva said, arguing that political conduct must still be guided by decency and morality. He accused the administration of allowing that mentality to influence its actions and inactions.

The former governor said he had therefore chosen to leave what he described as a “floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities”. He expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the next general election to “vote for Nigeria” and break what he called the country’s current “stranglehold”.

Sylva’s resignation comes amid legal and political controversies surrounding him. In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared him wanted over an alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257. He was also named among suspects in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.

The former governor is listed among defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over the alleged plot. Sylva has also sent a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the commission of acting more like an APC organ than a state institution.

Sylva acknowledged that leaving the APC could expose him and his associates to what he called a renewed “witch-hunt”, but said he was prepared to accept that risk. His resignation now raises fresh questions about his next political move and its possible impact on the APC’s political structure in Bayelsa.