August 17, (THEWILL) — Divergent views have continued to trail a ruling by a Federal Court of Canada classifying the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, and the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as terrorist organisations.
Coming on the heels of a June 17, 2025 judgement by Justice Phuong Ngo upholding an earlier decision of the Immigration Appeal Division that denied asylum to Nigerian national Douglas Egharevba over his decade-long affiliation with the PDP and APC, the reactions reflect a range of positions.
According to Court records, 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.
From the records in the 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 citing, among other incidents, the PDP’s alleged conduct in the 2003 state elections and 2004 local government poll, 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 paragraph 34(1) (b.1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
Justice Ngo affirmed that under paragraph 34(1)(f) of the IRPA, “mere membership of an organisation linked to terrorism or democratic subversion” could trigger inadmissibility — even without proof of personal involvement.
In a rather telling manner, the Federal Government and the APC and PDP handled the matter from different prisms.
Arguing that the Court made a sweeping accusation against the entire membership of “a political party that has produced three democratically elected presidents, instead of focusing on individuals found wanting”, The Spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi in Abuja on Friday, said, “Nigeria is a sovereign nation with a robust legal and constitutional framework governing political activities.
“Our political parties operate within the ambit of the law and are integral to the country’s vibrant democracy. To associate legitimate political entities with terrorism without credible evidence is a grave misrepresentation that undermines Nigeria’s democratic institutions and could incite unnecessary tension.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, therefore, calls on the Canadian authorities to immediately retract this erroneous designation and refrain from actions that could be misconstrued as endorsing politically motivated narratives against Nigeria. Diplomatic channels remain open for constructive dialogue, and we urge the Government of Canada to engage with the relevant Nigerian institutions to rectify this error.
“Nigeria remains committed to the global fight against terrorism and has made significant strides in countering extremist groups within its borders; therefore, called on the international community to disregard this misguided ruling and reaffirm its confidence in Nigeria’s democratic governance and rule of law.
“The government further urges Nigerian nationals to refrain from making unfounded allegations against Nigeria under the pretext of seeking asylum or favours from foreign entities.”
For the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Felix Morka, the PDP and not the ACP was referenced by the Canadian judge in his ruling.
According to him, the Canadian court did not declare APC as a terrorist organisation, contrary to highly erroneous media reports in circulation.
“To be clear, the only reference to APC in the entire 16-paged decision was in the introductory ‘Background’, Paragraph 4, where the court referenced a “Background Declaration Form in which the applicant stated that he was a member of the People’s Democratic Party [PDP] of Nigeria from December 1999 until December 2007 and a member of the All Progressives Congress [APC] party of Nigeria from December 2007 until May 2017,” Morka said at the weekend.
He said that APC was not in existence as of 2007. The party was registered in 2013. The Applicant’s claim of membership of APC as of 2007 is evidently false as he could not have been a member of APC that didn’t exist at the time.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we make bold to state that the court never made any determination on the question of terrorism in its decision. Clearly, reports that APC was declared as a terrorist organisation by the Canadian court in this matter is patently erroneous, if not mischievous,” he said.
A lawyer, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, however disagreed with Morka, stating that the Canadian court’s statement was beyond political parties.
In an open letter to Senator Ajibola Bashiru, Jaja urged Nigeria to lodge a lawsuit against Canada at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a recent judgment of the Federal Court of Canada in Egharevba v. Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2025 FC 1093.
According to Dr. Jaja, the Canadian decision amounted to a declaration that the Nigerian Police, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are “terrorist organisations.” He further argued that Nigeria should challenge the decision internationally to prevent other Commonwealth countries from citing it.
For the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, individuals could be so described, but not a political organisation, if the court judge was being sincere.
“Nigeria and Canada are both democracies. And I’m sure those who make such statements enjoy their right to freedom of speech. But again, when having freedom of speech, one should be circumspect about unguarded and unnecessary statements. There’s nothing to show, there’s nothing on text to show that even the malfunctioning APC is a terrorist organisation or the PDP, which is a credible institution,” he reportedly said.
Osadolor added: “If they wanted to say that some individuals in the government, particularly the APC government, have traces to terrorism… they will have a case. But to say an entire political party is a terrorist organisation is wrong.”
Former NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye warned of the precedent that the ruling could set for Nigeria and the Canada-Nigeria relationship.
“The implications are deeply troubling. Legally, the ruling sets a precedent that political affiliation, no matter how commonplace or mainstream can be equated with terrorism. Diplomatically, it risks souring Canada-Nigeria relations by painting the country’s core democratic institutions with the same brush as extremist groups. For Nigerians abroad, especially those who have ever held a party membership card, it signals heightened scrutiny, denied visas and rejected asylum claims, not only in Canada but potentially in other Western democracies that may follow suit,” he said in a piece titled, ‘From Politics to Terrorism? Canada’s Dangerous Redefinition of Nigeria’s Democracy.’
Soneye argued that even more alarming is what this means for democracy, saying that labelling established political parties as terrorist organisations undermines their legitimacy at home and abroad.
“It blurs the vital line between dissent and danger, between governance and extremism, adding that 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.”
Felix Ifijeh is a journalist with years of professional reporting experience. Known for his keen news sense, compelling storytelling and commitment to accurate, impactful reporting, he has built a reputation for turning leads into clear, engaging, and well-structured reports that resonate with readers. His work reflects deep newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate, impactful journalism.
