Ex-Minister, Sylva Resigns From APC Amid Link To Coup Plot

Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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

He said the decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters, adding that his resignation took immediate effect.

He particularly accused the ruling party of abandoning the ideals on which it was founded.

“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 unrecognisably thwarted,” Sylva said.

He accused the APC leadership of operating on the belief that “all is fair in politics,” describing the principle as contrary to basic decency and morality.

According to him, the administration formed under the APC has “disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians,” while he sees neither a credible attempt nor the possibility of revamping the government.

Sylva said he had therefore decided 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.

The former minister also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in his resignation letter, accusing the anti-graft agency of recently conducting itself “more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State.”

He acknowledged that his resignation could expose him and his associates to what he termed a “redoubled witch-hunt,” but said he was prepared to accept the risk.

Sylva’s resignation comes amid legal and security concerns surrounding his alleged involvement in a purported plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

The EFCC declared him wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.859 million.

He was subsequently named among suspects in the alleged coup plot against Tinubu and is listed as one of the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the Federal Government.

Prosecution allegations have linked Sylva to the alleged financing of the purported conspiracy, with intelligence reports and witnesses claiming that nearly N1 billion was allegedly channelled in multiple tranches through a Bureau De Change operator and private construction companies.

The former governor, however, remains at large.

Timipre Sylva

In July 2026, the Department of State Services (DSS) also arraigned five individuals before the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly concealing Sylva’s whereabouts.

The defendants — Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha and Ayebaifife Suobite — were charged with conspiracy and allegedly withholding information about Sylva’s location.

The DSS alleged that the defendants concealed Sylva’s whereabouts in Abuja on or about April 28, 2026, describing him as a “fugitive from the law” in connection with the alleged coup plot.

They were charged under Sections 519 and 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

All five defendants pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to them.

DSS counsel, Emmanuel Orubor, subsequently asked the court to schedule the case for trial, saying the prosecution was ready to call witnesses to establish its allegations.

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