Former Petroleum Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the party’s departure from its founding ideals and growing concerns over the conduct of the present administration.
Sylva, a founding member of the APC, announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the party chairman, stating that his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
In the resignation letter, Sylva expressed disappointment over what he described as the “thorough” and “unrecognisable” thwarting of the ideals that motivated him and other members to build the APC.
He said he could no longer, “in all good conscience,” remain in a party whose leaders, according to him, operate on the belief 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 further criticised the Federal Government, saying the administration formed under the APC platform had disappointed a large number of Nigerians.
According to him, he could neither see a credible attempt nor any realistic possibility of revamping the party and its administration.
Sylva said he was therefore left with no choice but to leave what he described as a “floundering ship,” expressing confidence that Nigerians would use the next election to “vote for Nigeria” and free the country from what he called a political stranglehold.
In a notable aspect of the resignation letter, Sylva said he deliberately copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging that the anti-graft agency had recently conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of the Nigerian state.
He also acknowledged that his resignation could expose him and his associates to what he described as a possible “redoubled witch-hunt,” but said he was prepared to accept the risk.
Sylva concluded the letter by reaffirming his commitment to Nigeria and signed off as Chief Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources.
His resignation marks a significant political development within the APC, particularly given Sylva’s status as a founding member and prominent political figure from the Niger Delta.
The development is expected to generate reactions within political circles as attention shifts towards the political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
