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Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva’s political journey in the All Progressives Congress spanned more than a decade, taking him from a former PDP governor to one of the APC’s prominent figures in Bayelsa State. After joining the party, Sylva served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari and later emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate in Bayelsa’s 2023 election after stepping down from the 2023 presidential race.
Sylva resigned from the APC on August 31, 2026, accusing the party of abandoning its founding principles and describing it as “irredeemable.” In his resignation letter, he also accused the EFCC of acting increasingly like an organ of the ruling party, a claim the commission has not accepted.
His departure came as the EFCC moved to question him over an alleged $14.86m fraud linked to a refinery project. The commission has urged the former governor, who was previously declared wanted, to make himself available for questioning. Sylva has denied wrongdoing and maintained that he has not evaded the commission’s summons.
