Nigeria’s two dominant political parties — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) — have condemned a ruling by a Federal Court of Canada classifying both as terrorist organisations.
The June 17, 2025 judgment by Justice Phuong Ngo upheld an earlier Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) decision denying asylum to Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba over his decade-long affiliation with the PDP and APC.
Court records show Egharevba was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC until 2017, when he relocated to Canada and disclosed his political history.
Allegations of political violence
According to Canadian court filings, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness argued that the two parties were implicated in political violence, democratic subversion, and electoral bloodshed.
The court cited, among other incidents, the PDP’s alleged role in the 2003 state elections and 2004 local government polls — which reportedly involved ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and the killing of opposition supporters.
The IAD concluded that party leadership benefited from the violence and took no action to stop it, meeting Canada’s legal definition of subversion under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Membership grounds for inadmissibility
Justice Ngo affirmed that under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, “mere membership of an organisation linked to terrorism or democratic subversion” could make an individual inadmissible — even without proof of personal involvement.
This ruling means that political affiliation alone, if linked to an organisation deemed subversive, can justify denial of asylum or other immigration benefits.
The judgment has drawn strong backlash from both Nigerian political giants.
PDP calls verdict ‘biased and baseless’
The PDP described the classification as “misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence,” calling for it to be dismissed outright.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said:
“Nigeria and Canada are both democracies… but one should be circumspect about unguarded and unnecessary statements. There’s nothing to show that even the malfunctioning APC is a terrorist organisation, or the PDP, which is a credible institution.”
Osadolor argued that if allegations were targeted at specific individuals — particularly in the APC government — there might be a case, but branding an entire political party as a terrorist group was wrong.
Concerns over diplomatic fallout
Former NNPC spokesperson Olufemi Soneye warned that the ruling could set a dangerous precedent.
“If democratic nations don’t push back on this kind of overreach, they may one day find their own politics on trial in a foreign court,” he said.
Soneye noted that the decision could lead to denied visas, rejected asylum claims, and increased scrutiny from other Western democracies, ultimately undermining party legitimacy and eroding civil liberties.
APC rejects ‘foreign bench’ ruling
Similarly, the APC dismissed the ruling as baseless, with its National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, describing the presiding judge as “an ignoramus.”
Bashiru insisted the party was “a credible democratic political organisation” that does not seek legitimacy from “a foreign bench” under a law with no extra-territorial application.
He argued that the Canadian court lacked jurisdiction to determine the status of a Nigerian-recognised political party, calling the judgment “jaundiced” and tied to the asylum bid of a desperate applicant.
Both parties demand individual accountability
Both PDP and APC urged Canadian authorities to focus on individual accountability rather than sweeping classifications that risk distorting Nigeria’s democratic image abroad.
They warned that such rulings could strain diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Canada.
The parties emphasised that political institutions should not be undermined by the alleged actions of a few members.
