Retract Terrorist Tag On APC, PDP, Nigerian Govt Tells Canada

The federal government has condemned a ruling by a Canadian federal court designating Nigeria’s two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as “terrorist organisations”.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs described such classification as baseless and an unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs.

The decision stemmed from the asylum case of Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba, who arrived in Canada in September 2017 and sought refugee status under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).

Egharevba disclosed that he was a PDP member from 1999 to 2007 before joining the APC until his relocation.

Following this, the presiding judge, Justice Phuong Ngo, in its judgment, dated June 17, upheld an earlier Immigration Appeal Division decision denying him asylum.

Justice Ngo held that the parties were implicated in political violence and democratic subversion, including alleged ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and killings during the PDP’s 2003 and 2004 elections.

The court concluded that party leaders benefited from such acts without taking corrective action, thus meeting Canada’s definition of subversion under paragraph 34(1)(b.1) of the IRPA.

Justice Ngo also affirmed that under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the Act, mere membership in an organisation linked to terrorism or democratic subversion could trigger inadmissibility, even without direct involvement.
But the Nigerian government described such classification as “reckless, unfounded, and a grave misrepresentation” of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a robust legal framework governing political activities. Our political parties operate within the law and are integral to our vibrant democracy,” Ebienfa said.

“To associate legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence undermines our institutions and could incite unnecessary tension,” he added.

The Nigerian government called on Canadian authorities to “immediately retract” the designation and avoid endorsing politically motivated narratives, adding that diplomatic channels remain open for dialogue.

He also urged Nigerian citizens to avoid making unfounded claims against the country in pursuit of asylum abroad.

Meanwhile, both the PDP and the APC have rejected the ruling of the Canadian court.

The PDP deputy national youth leader, Timothy Osadolor, described the ruling as “misinformed, biased, and lacking evidence”.

Osadolor said, “There’s nothing to show that the PDP, a credible institution, or even the malfunctioning APC is a terrorist organisation. If they wanted to target individuals with proven links to terrorism, they would have a case. But labelling entire parties is wrong.”

Similarly, the APC, through its National Secretary Senator Ajibola Bashiru, dismissed the judgment as “baseless and delivered from a jaundiced perspective”.

He argued the Canadian court had “no jurisdiction to determine the status of a Nigerian-recognised political party” and criticised “desperate Nigerians” for enabling such outcomes in asylum claims.

Retract Terrorist Tag On APC, PDP, Nigerian Govt Tells Canada is first published on The Whistler Newspaper