Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the party’s departure from its founding ideals and the failure of the present administration to meet Nigerians’ expectations.

Sylva announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Monday.

The former governor said he arrived at the decision after 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.”

Describing himself as a founding member of the APC, Sylva said he was saddened by what he called the abandonment of the principles upon which the party was established.

He criticised the administration under the APC, arguing that its leadership had embraced the belief that “all is fair in politics,” a position he said was incompatible with basic morality and decency.

Sylva said the current government had “disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians” and that he could see neither a credible effort nor a realistic possibility of reforming the administration.

His resignation comes amid ongoing legal and political controversies surrounding him. In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.86 million.

He was also listed among defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Sylva, however, maintained that his decision to leave the APC was based on principle, saying he was unwilling to remain in a political party whose leadership, in his view, had lost its moral direction.

He described the APC as a “floundering ship” and said he had chosen to leave because its fate appeared to have been determined by what he called an “irredeemable load of iniquities.”

The former governor expressed confidence that Nigerians would use the forthcoming general election to vote for a change, saying citizens would “vote for Nigeria” and free the country from what he termed its current “stranglehold.”

Sylva also sent a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC, accusing the anti-graft agency of conducting itself more like an organ of the APC than an independent institution of the state.

He acknowledged that his resignation could trigger what he described as a renewed “witch-hunt” against him and his associates, but said he was prepared to accept the consequences.