Nigeria’s Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Sylva resigns to pursue Bayelsa State gubernatorial bid

Oredola Adeola

Timipre Sylva, Minister of State Petroleum Resources has reportedly resigned to focus on his second term governorship bid in Bayelsa State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in the upcoming gubernatorial contest billed for November 11, 2023.

EnergyDay gathered that the junior Petroleum Resource Minister had tendered and notified the outgoing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, about his resignation a week ago, but chose to keep it private until the revelation was made known to Reuters on Thursday.

Two sources who did not want to be identified informed Reuters that Mr. Sylva had stopped coming to the office for official duties after notifying the President.

Mr Sylva who came into the saddle in 2019, as Junior Minister to President Buhari, who serves as Minister of Petroleum Resources, is seeking the APC ticket to run for Bayelsa Governor in party primaries scheduled to take place on April 14.

EnergyDay’s checks showed that the former Minister for State Petroleum Resources served the term as Bayelsa governor between 2008 and 2012, but was disqualified from contesting the governorship primaries under the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Minister’s media aide, Julius Bukoro was not available to comment on the development.