Former Bayelsa governor says party’s founding ideals have been “thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted” as opposition parties converge in Abuja
ABUJA — Nigeria’s political landscape has entered another phase of uncertainty ahead of the 2027 general elections following the resignation of former Bayelsa State Governor and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
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Sylva announced his resignation on Monday in a letter addressed to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The former governor, who described himself as a founding member of the APC, said his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and supporters.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the departure of the party from the ideals upon which it was established.
“As a founding member of the APC… it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted,” Sylva said.
The resignation is politically significant because Sylva has remained an influential figure in Bayelsa and the wider South-South political space.
It also comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the APC, as politicians across the country intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential, governorship and legislative elections.
Sylva’s departure comes against the background of legal and political controversies involving him. The EFCC declared him wanted in 2025 over allegations involving conspiracy and dishonest conversion of about $14.86 million, allegations he has contested. He has also been listed among defendants in a federal case concerning an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
Opposition gathers in Abuja
While Sylva was walking away from the ruling party, opposition forces were preparing for a major political gathering in Abuja.
The G-100 coalition is convening an opposition summit involving parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The objective is to explore mechanisms for cooperation ahead of 2027 and, potentially, the emergence of a common platform capable of challenging the APC.
But the opposition faces a fundamental problem.
Everybody wants unity — but nobody appears willing to surrender ambition easily.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and other opposition figures have previously explored coalition arrangements, but disagreements over platforms, presidential ambition and the structure of a proposed alliance have repeatedly slowed progress.
The PDP faction also indicated that it will not participate in the Abuja summit, illustrating the depth of the opposition’s internal disagreements.
The real battle
The question facing Nigeria’s opposition is therefore no longer simply whether it can produce a coalition.
It is whether it can produce a coalition strong enough to survive the politics of candidate selection, zoning, regional interests, funding and party structures.
For the APC, meanwhile, every major defection is a warning that the 2027 contest may not be as straightforward as an incumbent-versus-fragmented-opposition narrative suggests.
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